Pokemon - Sunset High
by umbreonangel
Summary: Dawn and Gary become best friends at their new high school with it's strange ways. Their relationship with each other is different from others. But their friendship might turn into another type of friendship. Together, they face many school problems. Life could just about be perfect for the two when those problems go away. Or will they stay forever?
1. Chapter 1

Sunset High

Chapter 1

Dawn woke up to a new day. She brushed her hair, put on her clips and her hat. By the time she was done, her mum was yelling from downstairs.

"Dawn, hurry the hell up! The bus is coming in 5 minutes!"

Dawn rushed downstairs to wash her face, brush her teeth and eat breakfast. She then waved goodbye to her mum as she left for work and then went out the front door to the bus stop. She was just in time because the bus arrived just as she came. She paid her fare and found a seat near the back.

"Phew, I'm glad I didn't miss the bus" she heaved a sigh of relief.

"If I were the bus driver, I wouldn't even bother coming here if the passenger was late all the time" said a voice from behind her.

Dawn whirled around to come face to face with a green haired boy. He was sitting with a girl wearing mostly red with a red bandanna.

"The name's Drew if you were too dumb to know"

"Hi, my name's May, sorry but Drew always does this and it mostly leads him into trouble." said May.

"Oh hi May, my name's Dawn. It's very nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too Dawn." she replied kindly.

"May look! We're here, now we can finally get away from this nosy little girl!" said Drew.

The bus stopped and everyone piled out, happy to be away from the stuffy bus. It was summertime and being in a small space with many people can get awkward.

Dawn was enjoying the view of her new school and didn't watch where she was going. She bumped into a group of boys.

"Hey! Watch where you're going kid! Should I teach you some respect?" one of the boys asked in a scary tone.

"Um, no." squeaked Dawn.

"Hey you lot, stop ganging up on girls cause you're too scared to fight someone your own size!" yelled a voice from behind.

Dawn turned around to see a spikey haired boy walk up. He was wearing a black t-shirt, purple jeans and black sneakers. He stood next to her and stared defiantly at the group of boys.

"Well?" he asked them.

"Looks like pretty boy wants a fight boss!" smirked one of the boys.

"If you want a fight, you'll get one!" said a familiar-looking boy with green hair.

"No thanks, just tell your pussy friends to pick on someone besides girls." Gary replied cooly.

At that, the group turned around and walked off. Dawn's heart was beating fast, she couldn't believe what just happened.

"You okay?" asked the boy.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"My name's Gary, what's yours?"

"Um, Dawn."

"Okay, nice to meet you Dawn!"

"Um yeah..."

"Is something wrong Dawn?"

"Um, yeah, I don't know where I'm supposed to go." she admitted.

"Oh, come with me, we're supposed to go to the hall." He replied.

Dawn followed Gary to a big building, she entered after him and took a seat in the back row because they were late. Next to her sat May and Drew.

"Oh, hi there Dawn!" May said happily.

"Hi May!" Dawn replied just as happy.

"Sup Dawn." said Drew "Hey, I know you!" he yelled at Gary.

"You're the one who messed with my group!" Drew yelled louder.

"Hey, it wasn't my fault your stupid group picked on Dawn!" Gary fired back.

Drew and Gary kept shouting rude words at each other, May and Dawn yelled at them to stop but it just made them louder. Soon, the principal banged his fist on his desk and everything went silent.

"About time!" he said gruffly.

"Now, welcome to Sunset High, we hope you enjoy your time here." He said.

"The following students are going with Ms. Basil." he said.

The principal talked on and on until everyone was in a class group.

"Now, these will be your new classes but you will spend barely any time in them for you will be going to different classes to learn other subjects. Your stationary will go in your desks but you have to bring the required books and equipment with you when you go to your next class. Are we clear?" he asked.

"Yes." everyone mumbled. They were bored to death with his boring chatting.

"Now, before you leave, there is this one big rule that is more important than any other rule. NO POKEMON ALLOWED AT SCHOOL! Or, you will face punishment. I'm warning you, don't bring your pokemon to school or else big trouble will come your way, girl or boy." His voice sank into everyone's brains.

Without knowing, everyone knew that the 'punishment' would be very unpleasant.

"Woah!, that was scary!" exclaimed Dawn.

She had May, Drew and Gary in her class and she was yet to meet others. She entered Room 32 and stood amongst the others.

"Welcome class, my name is Mrs. Feta." said the teacher warmly.

"Now, every desk has a form with your names on it, go find the right desk for where you'll be sitting this term." She instructed.

Dawn found that she was sitting in a desk near the back. She had Drew on her left, a person called Ash in front of her, Melody on her right, and May was behind her. She looked around for Gary and saw that he was sitting next to Ash. Drew was behind Gary so he could snigger at him all the time.

"Right, the forms have some stuff for you to fill out and then after that, grab your map and look on your timetable sheet on where you're going next. I recommend you keep your timetable because if you lose it, you won't know which class you're going to. This is term 1 timetable okay? Anyway, you all go to different classes so you might be split up with your friends. But 2 or 3 people will join you in your class. Make any sense?"

"Yes." everyone replied in a bored tone.

"Then go to your classes when you're finished with the form! Oh, don't forget to give me the forms when you've filled them out ok? And put your map and timetable in your file or something so you can keep them safe." she said.

Dawn handed over her sheet and headed to her first class, the Biology Class. She walked down the corridor to room 25.

"Here it is!" she said to herself.

"How pathetic." scowled a purple haired boy.

"Hey, you could be a little nicer at least!" Dawn yelled at him.

"Hey Dawn!" yelled a boy's voice.

She turned around to see Ash.

"Paul!" he yelled angrily.

"Hm, I'm surprised to see you around." Paul said uninterestedly.

"What were you doing to Dawn?" Ash yelled.

"Ha, nothing." he replied.

"You're lying, I know it you fag!" Ash yelled louder.

"Shut the hell up!" Paul pushed Ash angrily.

Ash fell back and bumped into a girl.

"Hey, don't hit my girlfriend!" a boy yelled at him.

Ash felt a fist collide into his face and he fell backward where he crashed into a boy. The boy pushed Ash away and he banged into someone else. The whole corridor was filled with yells and cries of pain. Everyone crashed into each other and punched each other. All went silent as a gang of boys showed up. Dawn recognised this as the group she met up with earlier. Drew's group of boys. They strolled calmly and everyone parted to let them through. Just by looking at them , they looked pretty tough. Everyone could see that and they respected them.

"Who started this racket?" asked Drew in an angry tone.

All eyes were on Ash now and Drew walked towards him. Ash was shivering all over.

"Well now, let's teach this trouble maker a little lesson shall we?" he said venomously.

Everyone backed away until they were all against the lockers. Some people ran away.

Ash tried to run too but strong hands grabbed his arms. He was struggling now, trying to break free of the deadly grip. But he couldn't, the more he struggled, the tighter the grip became. Then, Drew walked closer to him, there was fire in his eyes.

"How dare you start a racket on the first day, May just hurt her arm because of YOU!" Drew growled.

Ash gulped, Drew had raised his fist to bring down the first punch. Ash shut his eyes and braced himself for the impact.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" shouted a voice.

Ash opened his eyes to see Gary walk towards Drew. His eyes were blazing. Drew had turned around but the grip on his arms stayed.

"Let him go Drew" ordered Gary fiercely.

"Never!" Drew hissed.

He punched Gary in the stomach and punched his eye. Gary fell back and leaned against a locker, gasping for breath. Ash stared in disbelief at how easily Drew beat up Gary. But then Drew turned and punched him in the face. Then another blow went to his stomach. Ash felt his legs weaken. The grip on his arms released him and he fell to the floor. Everyone in the corridor walked off to their classes, murmuring all the way. Meanwhile, Gary came over and helped up Ash.

"Uh thanks, are you ok?" asked Ash.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." Gary staggered over to lean against a locker.

"Gary! Are you ok!" Dawn came rushing over.

"Oh my god! You have a black eye Gary!" she shrieked.

"I'll take you to the nurse ok?" she said.

"Nah, I'm fine." said Gary. He walked inside his class, followed by Dawn and Ash.

Gary was not looking forward to his next class. Drew was in it.

When the class was finished, he walked down the corridor with Dawn and Ash to the science class. Dawn had left to biology and Ash had left to maths. He was all alone now. It was only him, Drew and Misty, a girl from his class.

As he entered the class, the few students inside turned and stared at him. The whispered to each other and some of the girls giggled. Gary sighed and sat at a desk near the back, away from everyone else.

The door opened and some students came in. Gary looked up and saw Drew walking towards him. He sat on the desk next to his. Gary shivered, why did Drew want to sit next to him? Then, Misty came into view, she sat next to Drew and talked with this random girl she made friends with called Amy. Drew faced them and joined their conversation. Gary felt like moving desks to the front but all the desks were filled up already.

"Good afternoon class, today, we are studying different chemicals and their reactions. Any questions?" the teacher asked.

All was silent so he continued.

"My name is Mr. Wright." he tapped at his name which was written on the board.

"The instructions are on the board, after you've written them in, you can get your equipment and start your experiments."

The teacher walked over to his desk and started writing. Everyone else started writing too.

When Gary was finished, he walked to the table and got the equipment he needed. Drew snatched the things from Gary's hands and took them.

"Thanks for helping me Gary." he said in a fake happy voice.

"Feel free to talk, it doesn't have to be complete silence in here, in fact, a bit of noise helps me think better." said Mr. Wright.

The class broke into chatter. Gary sighed and went back to collect more equipment. When he got back Drew was sitting there with a confused look on his face.

"What?" Gary asked rudely.

"Uh, we already got the equipment for our experiment." he said.

"Did I say I was working with you?" Gary asked fiercely.

"Well you are now." Drew said with a shrug.

He set the things on his table while Gary joined their desks. Misty had finished and had paired up with Amy. As Amy walked past, Drew tripped her over.

"OH MY GOD GARY! WHAT DID YOU DO THAT FOR!?" Drew screamed at the top of his lungs so that the whole class could hear.

Gary felt sick as the whole class turned to look at him. Misty's face looked like it was going to burst, she was so angry. Amy, who had gotten up, looked furiously at Gary.

"W-why you t-trip m-me up?" she asked weakly, she was close to tears.

Misty had gotten up and glared at Gary, then she comforted Amy and gave her a tissue. The teacher had gotten up now.

"What's going on?" he asked.

The class all looked in Gary's direction. Drew was hiding his face behind his book. He was smiling. But then he put it down.

"Sir, Gary was the one who tripped up Amy, I saw it with my own eyes I swear." he said seriously.

"Go on." said Mr. Wright.

"I was bending to pick up my pen and that's when Gary struck, he poked his foot out and Amy fell over." Drew said.

"I believe you young boy." the teacher said.

The bell rang for break and everyone piled out. As Gary got up to leave, Drew hit him hard in the stomach. He stumbled and side-stepped into the wall. Gary groaned and put an arm around his stomach. Drew had gotten down to the floor and was crawling out of the class unseen.

"What's the matter lad?" asked the teacher.

"Uh, nothing." replied Gary.

He gathered his things and walked out. Drew was outside waiting for him, he slammed Gary's head into the wall. It started to bleed.

"That's what you get when you mess with me." Drew hissed.

Gary put a tissue to his head and walked off to maths class on unsteady legs. When he got there, Dawn was standing outside the door with her friends. Gary felt really dizzy, then he collapsed all together. He heard Dawn's voice, but it got muffled as all went black.

Ash was talking to Dawn in the maths class. Luckily, there was a relieving teacher because the real maths teacher was at a meeting. Relievers were usually nice, this one was and she let everyone talk.

"So you're saying he just walked here and then fell over?" Ash asked in a shocked voice.

"Yeah, we got him sent to the nurse." Dawn said.

"What's up guys?" asked May.

"Oh, hi May, we were just talking about Gary." said Ash.

"Really? What happened?" May asked.

"We don't really know." Dawn told her.

"Oh, anyway, can I sit with you guys?" asked May.

"Sure!" replied Ash.

May took a seat and began her maths work. Meanwhile...

Gary woke up, he was in a room with a few people sitting around. He realised he was in the nurse's room.

"Glad you're awake honey." said the nurse.

"What happened?" asked Gary.

"No clue, but your head was bleeding. I've cleaned it and patched it up now. And where did you get that black eye?" the nurse said.

"Um, someone accidentally opened their locker into my face." Gary lied.

"Oh, that's unfortunate." said the nurse.

"If you're feeling well, you can go." she said.

"Yeah, I'll go." said Gary. The nurse was creeping him out.

In class, Dawn was silent. For her first day, it was horrible! She wished her best friend Iris was in her class right now. Iris was from her old school and had been her best friend for several years. But luckily, Iris was in her art class which was next. The bell rang and everyone ran out of the horribly boring maths class, despite the relieving teacher.

Dawn walked up the corridor to her class. When she entered her class, Gary was inside at his desk. Their teacher and everyone else had left for their meals. Dawn wasn't particularly hungry.

"Hi Gary, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." said Gary.

"Well, I'm just putting my stuff away and then I'm going to room 20 to meet my friend." said Dawn.

She left the class and walked away to chat with her friend Iris.

The day passed by and it was time to go home. Dawn walked to the bus stop and waited for the bus to come. Unfortunately, Drew was on the same bus as her. He sat with May near the back with his friends. May looked uncomfortable so she went to sit with Dawn near the front. They talked the whole way until Dawn had to get off the bus.

"Bye May!" Dawn yelled with a big smile.

"See you tomorrow Dawn!" she yelled back happily.

Dawn walked up the road to her house. Her first day at high school was tiring. But she could handle it.

-The End-


	2. Chapter 2

Sunset High

Chapter 2

Dawn woke up early in the morning. She decided to take the early bus so she didn't meet up with Drew. As she dressed and prepared for school, she went downstairs to brush her teeth and eat breakfast.

"You're up early." said her mum in a surprised voice.

"Yeah, I just want to go to school early cause, um, my friends do." lied Dawn.

"Oh, I know why, you barely see them all day right dear?" she asked sympathetically. "That's fine with me."

Dawn left the house and walked down the road to the bus stop. The bus arrived 10 minutes later and Dawn got on board. She payed her fare and sat down at a seat. She was the only one on the bus. Which was a good thing. Well, for now anyway. She sat in silence the whole way. The bus driver seemed to enjoy the silence.

Gary woke up, he was already feeling much better. He hid his face from his family. He didn't show up to dinner and only came down to eat when everyone was asleep. He knew his eye would cause unwanted attention. He looked at the clock before heading to the bathroom. It was still 6 am which meant he had 1 hour of peace. Gary washed his face, combed his hair and brushed his teeth. Then he cleaned the wound on his head and covered it up with his hair. It was now just a scar. He then put a bit of make up on his black eye to hide it. He looked close to normal again. When he finished, he ate breakfast, picked up his black and purple schoolbag then left. He lived near school so he walked.

Dawn opened the door to her class, the cleaners had already unlocked all the classes. She sat at her desk and got out her homework from the several classes she went to yesterday. It was completed but she wasn't sure if any of the maths was correct. She double-checked it before putting it away and bringing out her notepad. She just drew pokemon until the door opened and Gary walked in. He already looked way better.

"Morning Dawn." he said.

"Good morning Gary, you feeling better?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah." he replied.

"How did your, um, eye-"

"Make up." interrupted Gary.

"Aaaah, so it's still there..." said Dawn in an amused voice.

She got up from her chair and went over to Gary's desk. She pushed aside Gary's hair.

"Dawn, what are you doing?" he asked.

"Looking." she said.

Gary realised that she was looking at his scar and relaxed.

"You could've described that better." he muttered.

Dawn just giggled. She pulled away and covered his scar again. Just then, the door opened and Drew walked in.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" he asked slyly.

He walked towards Dawn and Gary. But then Ash ran in and tackled Drew. They fell in a heap and punched at each other. Gary took this as an opportunity to escape, he grabbed Dawn's hand and ran for the door. But as he got to the door, Paul stepped around the corner and punched Gary in the nose. It wasn't very hard so it didn't draw blood.

He turned around and joined Ash in the fight. Dawn just stood there, unable to help in any way at all. She heard Paul gasp and turned around to see him fall back. May walked in, she glared at Drew.

"Drew! Stop right now!" she yelled.

Hearing May, Drew stopped completely. His fist was only centermetres from Gary's face. He lowered his hand and sighed.

"God May, I wish you never interrupted me like that." he said in an exasperated voice.

May left the room and Paul called for Drew to leave. Gary took the chance and did an uppercut on Drew. Drew got angry and the whole fight started again, this time Paul joined it. Drew broke free of the tussling bunch and took out his iphone 5 to text his mates for help. Soon, three boys came running in and joined. Luckily, Dawn texted all of Ash and Gary's friends. They came rushing in and jumped into the fight. Desks were tipped over, lights were broken and the fight rang on. Eventually, Drew's group fell back. They were outnumbered by far. The group left without a word.

"This is war!" hissed Drew venomously before he stalked off.

"Oh thank you all!" cried Dawn.

All of Gary and Ash's friends walked off with excited smiles.

Dawn walked over to inspect Gary. He seemed perfectly fine. His hair was a bit messed up but he borrowed Dawn's comb so he could fix it. Now he looked more normal. Dawn was relieved that he wasn't hurt badly.

The day went by very fast and Dawn was double happy because Iris was in most of her classes. Home time came all too fast and she waved good bye to Iris as she left for a different bus. The bus ride home was pleasant as well. Drew sat right at the back and kept silent. Dawn sat at the front with Caroline, one of her friends, chattering away. She happily waved bye to May and Caroline as she got off the bus. She unlocked the door to her house and enjoyed the rest of her day talking to friends on facebook.

Gary liked the rest of his day, his make up had worn off but he didn't care. His parents were out for dinner and his sister Daisy was busy preparing dinner because his parents would be spending the night in a hotel and coming home tomorrow afternoon. He took a shower and helped to set up the dinner table. It didn't really take long because he only had to put down two sets. Dinner was pretty good and he had a good long sleep. He didn't really care about Daisy's shock at his eye. It was healing alright.

He awoke to a lovely morning and got ready for school. Life was finally going well for once.

Dawn woke up to a lovely morning too. She was happy because it was Friday today and she was picking up Piplup from the daycare tomorrow. She got ready for school and left the house.

On the bus, Drew sat at the back again. He seemed to have gotten over his loss yesterday. He was talking again but not as loud as always. She could barely hear him above everyone else. But she didn't care. She was sharing her seat with both Caroline and Iris. It was a bit of a squash but Caroline was really thin so it wasn't too bad.

Gary was sitting at his desk looking at his classes for the day. Drew came in but no rude remarks came from his mouth. Then Misty came in, she sat down and started reading. Whenever Gary looked at Drew, it seemed like he was staring into space so Gary just stopped bothering. Dawn came in and other classmates did too. Their teacher came in to call the register and everyone left to their classes.

"Hey Dawn, are you doing music class right now?" asked Gary.

"Yep, and so is Caroline!" she said excitedly.

"Who's Caroline?" asked Gary.

"My friend!" said Dawn. "Oh, I can't wait for her to meet you!"

"Oh, okay." said Gary. He wasn't all too interested at the moment.

When class was over, he waved goodbye to Dawn as she left to science. He then walked to his cooking class. Drew was in it and he was extremely rude and angry. He didn't hide it either. He poured random ingredients into Gary's food which made him have to restart. The teacher got fed up with him. She eventually sent him away because he completely ruined her example. She was taking the cake out of the oven and Drew kicked it into her face.

Everyone laughed, even Gary couldn't hold it anymore. He just had to laugh, it really was funny. The teacher cancelled the class and rang for a reliever, she then put a tissue to her sticky, creamed face and ran out of the class. Gary stayed behind to finish his cake because Drew had stuffed it up and he had to restart. When he finished, he packed it into a container and stuck a ribbon onto it. He grabbed a blue sticky note from the teacher's desk and wrote on it. He stuck on the sticky note then walked out of the class to find Dawn. Luckily, they were in the same class next so he gave her the container.

"Oh, what is this Gary?" she asked in amazement.

"Open it and see." said Gary.

Dawn opened the container to find a slice of triple chocolate fudge cake sitting inside.

"OH MY GOD! MY FAVOURITE FLAVOUR!" she screamed. "Thanks, I'll eat it at break."

She hugged Gary and entered the class. Gary blushed brightly so he hung back until everyone went in.

The lesson wasn't too bad and when the bell rang, Dawn went to Iris's class with Caroline. She had snuck a few bites of cake in class.

"Bye Gary! That cake is so delicious!" she waved goodbye.

"See ya." said Gary smiling. He turned around because he was beginning to blush.

Dawn giggled. "You don't have to hide it, I know you're blushing!" she called.

That just made Gary blush even more.

Dawn giggled again and left. Gary sighed in relief. He almost died of embarrassment. He received a text from his friend so he changed direction to his friend's class. Looks like the day was turning out well.

School whizzed by and home time had come. Dawn sat with Iris while May and Caroline sat behind them. Dawn and Iris turned in their seats so the four of them could talk the whole way until Dawn got off. Caroline was visiting her house and sleeping over for the weekends.

They put Caroline's stuff on Dawn's bed and the talked all evening. They went downstairs for a shower and dinner and then went back upstairs to talk some more.

Dawn's mum came up and passed them hot chocolate and marshmallows. The two girls enjoyed their drinks and talked a bit more until it was midnight. They turned the lights off and Dawn was kind enough to let Caroline use her bed. She arranged some sheets and cushions so she had her own floor bed. She was going to pick up Piplup tomorrow so she could spend time with it again. Her mum had the rest of the month off work so Piplup had company when Dawn was at school. She said good night to Caroline and waited till she could hear gentle snores. Then, she quickly texted Iris and said goodnight. She immediately got a reply. It looked like Iris was having a sleepover of her own. She then got a text from Gary. He said he was going to visit family for the whole week so wouldn't be at school next week. Dawn said goodnight and they agreed to try and say goodnight to each other every night.

-The End-


	3. Chapter 3

Sunset High

Chapter 3

Dawn woke up early and ran all the way to school. She had to stop half way because she was so exhausted.

She pushed open the classroom door to find it completely empty. No Gary. Then she remembered about the text last night. She decided to text him right now. When the text was sent, she got a reply straight away. Gary was on a ferry travelling to the Kanto region to visit his grandfather. Dawn didn't know how far Kanto was from Sinnoh but Gary never mentioned him going to a different region! She had thought that 'visiting family' meant going to a different city for a while. But no, it was travelling to a different region!

She was lost in her thoughts so much that she didn't see Drew come in.

"Texting your boyfriend eh Dawny?" he asked with a wicked smile.

"Go away, and mind your own business!" Dawn growled at him.

She continued texting to Gary. This made Drew's anger boil. He hissed at her fiercely.

"If I catch you doing anything with Gary, I swear, I'll make his being on earth worthless!" he snarled at her.

"Why do you even care? We don't concern you." scoffed Dawn.

"I can do what I want!" snapped Drew.

"Why? What have we done wrong? We're just friends, gosh." said Dawn.

"No idiot, I don't want-" he paused.

"Don't want what?" asked Dawn.

"It doesn't have anything to do with you." he hissed before he went away.

Dawn heard the door shut and then silence afterward. She shrugged her shoulders and texted goodbye to Gary. She decided to see if Iris was here yet.

"I know what you did Dawny, you texted him again, didn't you?" growled Drew.

"Just go away and leave my friend alone." said Dawn. She glared at him before walking off.

Iris was not in her class so she texted her. Iris replied and said that she had a stomach ache so she couldn't come to school. Dawn sighed and then texted Caroline. No reply came so she guessed Caroline was sick too. She wanted to text her other friends but refused. She trudged back to class where she faced the most boring day of her life. She had to do sports and then tests for the whole day.

When school finally finished, she went on the bus home. May was sick so she didn't come. Drew taunted her the whole time.

"Dawn, stop texting, seriously. I've given you a chance but starting from tomorrow, now more chances, okay?" he said.

Dawn just ignored him and continued to text to Gary. Drew swiped her phone away from her and read all her sent text messages. He glared at her when he finished.

"Just watch what you say to him." he hissed before turning away to chat with his friends.

Dawn felt so scared so she was relieved when the bus stopped at the bus stop near her house. She sprang from her seat and ran out of the bus. She leaped the front gate and unlocked the door. She was safe at last.

The week trailed past and soon it was Monday again. Dawn thought happily to herself. Gary was back and life would return back to normal. Or would it?

-The End-


	4. Chapter 4

Sunset High

Chapter 4

Dawn entered her class excitedly. The class was empty so she guessed Gary was a bit tired from the journey back.

Drew was walking to school instead of catching the bus. He smiled to himself. The plan should work perfectly. He wanted to get revenge on Gary so badly. It mattered to him, but not as much as May. He held the envelope in his hands joyfully. The smile on his face grew wider. He wanted to get rid of Dawn so she wouldn't distract him when he beat up Gary. Then he could get his full revenge. It would take some time, but eventually, the results would be devastating for Gary. He smiled evilly. This would work, he knew it. Gary didn't know what was coming for him. And by the time he did, it would already be too late.

After waiting another 10 minutes, Gary still didn't show up so she left the class to collect something from her locker. When she reached it, an envelope was stuck to her locker door. Curiously, she opened it. The writing was typed from a computer. As she read it, her eyes widened in shock.

_Dear Dawn,_

_I'm sorry to say but I never really liked you at all._

_I mean, you're arrogant, impatient and babyish._

_I don't need you anymore than I already do._

_And if you thought we were friends, you're wrong._

_I just wanted to do that to mess with you._

_I knew that if we became friends, I could break up with you and crash your heart._

_I really enjoy doing this to people, honestly, it's hilarious!_

_Look at their faces! Look at your own face! I wish I was here right now to laugh at you!_

_You are a dumb, stupid girl! I thought you'd know from the start!_

_I suppose you're dumber than a Magikarp! LoL!_

_Smell ya later dAwN! –Gary XD!_

Dawn was outraged, she slammed her fist onto the locker door and marched angrily back to class. When she got back to class, Gary was sitting there. Dawn glared icily at him. He looked utterly confused.

"What's wrong Dawn?" he asked.

"WHAT'S WRONG!? YOU TELL ME WHAT'S WRONG YOU LIAR!" she screamed at him.

"D-Dawn, I don't understand, what happened?" he asked in confusion.

Drew got up from his desk and left the class. It looks like the plan was set, there's no going back now. He smiled.

"Revenge time." he whispered.

Dawn grabbed Gary by the collar of his shirt. She was near to punching him but she didn't. Gary pulled her hands away.

"What the hell has gotten into you Dawn!?" he yelled.

"Don't ask me what's gotten into me!" she snapped furiously. "What's gotten into YOU!"

"Nothing." said Gary quietly. He turned away. "W-why a-a-are y-y-you d-doing this?" he asked. His voice cracking as he cried quietly. Trying not to show his tears. No one was in the class, just him and Dawn.

Dawn's heart clenched as she saw him cry. But she ignored it. This was another one of Gary's tricks. She knew it.

"Don't try acting like that to me!" she yelled.

Gary looked up at her. His tear filled eyes looked pain stricken. Dawn just scowled at him.

"I don't care you know, all those puppy dog eyes. Such a waste of time." she growled.

"Dawn, no..." he whispered.

"Silence!" she screeched at him.

He went silent. He slowly got up from his chair and left the class. Dawn couldn't help but shed silent tears.

Gary walked towards the bathroom, if anyone saw him like this, they'd make fun of him. Just as he reached the door, a voice came from behind him. He wiped his eyes and turned around. Drew grabbed his collar and punched his face. Gary tried to fight back but Drew's friends pounced to the rescue. They broke off and restrained Gary as Drew punched him hard in the gut. He spat out blood. It spilled down his white t-shirt like a waterfall in slow motion.

Drew stepped back and invited his friends to join him. They punched and kicked Gary however they liked. Dawn had heard the commotion and came out to see what was going on. It was still half an hour until school started anyway. She gasped and put her hand to her mouth at the sight before her. Blood was spilled all over the ground. Drew and his friends were beating up Gary. Her heart tore in half as they backed off. Gary lay on the ground gasping. He had two black eyes and several other bruises all over his body. Blood was pouring from his mouth and his shirt was bloodstained.

"D-Dawn, please..." he choked weakly.

Dawn just stared in horror as Drew silenced him by pounding his foot down onto Gary's stomach. This caused him to splutter out more blood. Dawn wanted to help him up so badly but something nagged at her brain and she refused.

"You don't need my help." she hissed harshly. Her icy-blue glare bore into Gary.

"Dawn... no..." pleaded Gary. His eyes were brimming with tears. There was pain in his eyes.

"Well..." interrupted Drew. "We should be heading back to class."

Dawn nodded and walked to her class.

Gary couldn't believe it, Dawn hated him so much for some reason. He was truly puzzled.

"Why Dawn? Why?" he whispered sadly to himself.

He slowly picked himself up, wincing at the pain that spread through his body. He slowly limped into the bathroom. There, he rinsed the blood away from his face. He left to his locker to get a clean t-shirt. Then he limped back to the bathroom. The bell rang but he ignored it. He removed his bloodstained t-shirt and washed the blood on his body and arms. He put on his clean black t-shirt and started fixing his hair. He looked like a mess but he didn't care. At least all the traces of blood were washed away. He slowly limped to his class.

The door of the class opened and Gary walked in. Everyone turned and gasped. Drew and some of his friends sniggered. Ash stared in shock while Dawn ignored it all and kept writing in her diary. The teacher was looking at Gary in disgust.

"What's wrong with you today dear? You're a mess! And you're late too! Take a seat and get your things for your class!" she said sternly.

The class soon forgot about Gary and went back to normal. Dawn however felt horrible. It was all her fault that Gary ended up like this. But then she thought again. Maybe he deserved it after all.

Gary's day at school was so miserable. He went to the bathroom whenever he had the chance to so he could cry without disturbance. Drew just smirked and gave him evil smiles all day. Dawn just ignored him. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she just turned away.

"Dawn? What did I do wrong?" he asked her after school.

Dawn had stayed at school for a while and the corridor was empty.

"You know what you did wrong." she hissed sharply.

"R-really?" asked Gary.

"Yeah, now go away. Get out of my life and mess up someone else's." she said rudely.

"Riiiight..." said Gary awkwardly. "Soooo, how was your-"

"Shut up you freak!" she turned and slapped him across the cheek.

Gary put his hand to his cheek and gazed at her sadly.

"Whatever's gotten into you is damn mad." muttered Gary.

"Keh, you deserved that." she retorted.

"Uh, about this morning, I-"

"SHUT UP! YOU RETARD GET LOST!" she screamed.

"What's going on?" asked a voice.

Dawn turned to see Drew walking towards them. Gary whimpered quietly and started to walk away. Drew leapt forward and grabbed his collar.

"Trying to run eh Gary?" he hissed venomously. "Want to spill more blood?"

Gary whimpered and shook his head.

"Then leave Dawn alone, she doesn't concern you." he growled before dropping Gary.

Gary stared in shock before scampering off. Dawn looked at Drew in awe.

"Wow Drew! You are like, my new bodyguard! Thanks!" she smiled happily.

"No problem Dawn." he said. "If you ever need help, I'll be ready for service."

Dawn watched happily as Drew walked away. She then turned around to walk home.

Dawn unlocked the door and pushed it open. The house was dark. It was strange and quiet. All the curtains were pulled closed and no sound came from the living room. No TV. But her mum always finished work at 2pm. And she would always have her windows or curtains open. And, she always watched TV. But not a sound was heard.

"Mum? Are you home?" she asked. She turned the lights in the hallway and continued to walk. First, into the bathroom.

No one was inside so she checked the living room. It was empty. She checked every other room downstairs but found them all empty. Slowly, she picked her way to the light switch for the stairs and turned it on. She walked up them and checked her room. Obviously, it was empty. She chucked her bag onto her bed and left to her mum's room. Dawn slowly opened the door.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH H!" she screamed.

Her mum lay dead on the floor. A knife lay on the floor with blood on it. Dawn ran over to her mum.

"MUM! MUM WAKE UP!" she screamed.

Her mum didn't wake up. She had been stabbed in the heart. She was dead. Dawn collapsed onto the floor crying.

"M-mum..." she whispered.

Wiping her tears away, she saw a note on the bedside table.

_Dear Dawn,_

_The way you left me like that this morning, I felt you needed punishment._

_Ha ha. Didn't expect anything like that did you?_

_So that afternoon I fled, I was planning to get to your house as soon as possible._

_Your mother is such a fool. She fell for my tricks like a 5 year old._

_Ha, stupid woman._

_You know who I am Dawn..._

Dawn scrunched up the paper in her fist, her anger flaring.

"Dad already died, now mum too..." she whispered.

"Don't worry mum, I'll avenge your death. I'll make that Gary pay. I promise. I will not fail." she said determinedly. "I WON'T FAIL! I WON'T FAIL! I WILL NOT FAIL!"

-The End-


	5. Chapter 5

Sunset High

Chapter 5

Gary walked into class and sat gloomily at his desk. A few tears fell down his face. Dawn hadn't been to school all week because she was grieving for her dead mother. Gary felt sorry for her.

Dawn entered the class quietly. Gary was there but he didn't notice her. She saw that he was crying too. But why? Was he just acting again? Dawn remembered what she had to do. And she planned on doing it now. Just as she was about to make her move, Gary spoke.

"I-I'm sorry about your mum, she must have meant a lot to you. Whoever killed her is a cold hearted asshole." he said.

Dawn sighed, "Gary, I'm not dumb you know."

"What?" he asked.

"You left a note after you killed my mum." she said. Her voice had an edge.

"What! I didn't! Why do you always blame everything on ME!?" he cried.

"Well, it's not my fault you left evidence behind!" she retorted.

"Hey Gary! Why don't you just piss off and mind your own business!" yelled Drew.

"Oh Drew! You're here finally!" Dawn said relieved.

"Oh, are you and Drew friends now?" asked Gary angrily.

"Yeah, so crap off!" shouted Dawn.

"Dawn, what about our friendship?" asked Gary.

"That's long gone! First you mess me up. Then you murder my mum! What kind of friend are you!" she screamed at him, her tears starting to come.

"Hold on, did you just say Gary murdered your mum!?" asked Drew in a shocked voice.

"Uh huh." sniffed Dawn.

"Do you want me to beat him up for you?" Drew asked.

Dawn took a long pause. Gary gazed at her with pleading eyes. Obviously, he was scared of Drew.

"Yes." whispered Dawn.

Gary looked at her in shock before getting tackled by Drew and getting the crap beaten out of him. For once, Dawn found this entertaining. She had no heart for Gary anymore. Drew was her new friend. That meant now she had Caroline, Iris, May and Drew as her new friends.

When Drew backed off, Gary got up slowly and limped out of the class, whining as Drew took a step towards him.

"Yeah, you better run!" shouted Drew.

"Wow Drew! Well done! That was so entertaining!" Dawn praised him.

"Yeah, just remember, I'm not your boyfriend ok? Just a friend." he said.

"Hey! I know that ok!?" Dawn said in mock anger.

Drew laughed and walked out of the class. Dawn sat down and felt a warm happiness spread inside her. Despite her dead mother. She was getting a step mother soon and she really hoped that she would be nice.

The bell rang and school started. Gary showed up on time but the teacher wasn't impressed.

"Gary Oak, I demand to know why you keep showing up to school looking like a messed up tangela!" she ordered.

"Uh, I tried to uh, save my dog. It um, fell down a ditch and I jumped down to save it. I didn't get muddy but uh, I landed in a um, thorn bush and got these scratches. My dog was thrashing about and it's paw struck my eye, so uh, that's how I got the black eye. Then, um, I visited my neighbours so I could uh, let them bring my dog back home. Um, they asked if I wanted um, help but, uh, I refused and continued on my way to school." he lied.

Drew sniggered and then spoke, "Miss, he's lying." he said.

"Be quiet Drew. You aren't involved in this." the teacher said.

"But-"

"Drew! For the last time, be quiet!" the teacher said in an annoyed voice. "Now go to your classes for god's sake!" she yelled.

Everyone packed and rushed out. Their teacher was in a bad mood today. Not good. Gary walked to his class. When he was almost there, Drew pushed his head into the wall and scraped it along the wall until blood was smeared all over it. Gary gasped in pain.

Dawn was watching. It felt wrong to see Drew do this. It seemed Drew was only thirsty for bloodshed, not bruises. This wasn't right at all. For some reason, Gary didn't look like he'd done anything wrong at all. Dawn thought some more in her classes that day.

What if Gary was innocent the whole time? Could it be true? Was he telling the truth the whole time? Was it Dawn who had fallen for a trick? The pain in Gary's eyes, the tears. Were they real? Dawn began to feel doubt and mistrust towards Drew. He always hung around Gary or her. Then, something clicked inside her brain. That was it!

Drew hung around Gary and her to pick up on news. Yesterday, when Gary fled in fear, it wasn't because he wanted to get to her house to kill her mum. He was actually scared. She had told Drew that she was walking home. He knew that the bus was faster so he took it. He knew the bus stop she went off at. He went straight to her house and knocked at her door. He tricked her mother. He was the one who murdered her mother. That meant that he wrote the letters. They were typed on the computer because Dawn knew what Gary's handwriting looked like. His writing was far neater than Drew's. She would have recognised it straight away. But how could he get that note to her house? He couldn't go to his house and back again that fast. Unless... unless he used her computer and printer! All of this was falling into place. Drew was hungry for revenge on Gary! He didn't care about her at all. He just wanted her out of the way so she couldn't interfere with him. That was it. But she had to check first. She had to go home and make sure. Then she would see who her true friend was.

-The End-


	6. Chapter 6

Sunset High

Chapter 6

Dawn entered her strange and silent home. She had investigators over yesterday but they had no proof of who killed her mum yet. Or so it seemed. There was something on the dinner table. Dawn walked over. The note on the package said that this was the finger print they found on the knife. It was exactly the same as her mum's. Dawn gasped. Why would her mum kill herself? Dawn made some toast and sat down to eat, chewing it thoughtfully.

They also found some prints on her mum's wrist. There was a little device there. They asked if she could scan the people she suspected and see if the finger prints matched. Now it was time to see the truth. Dawn called Gary over to her house after she finished reading.

There was a knock at the door and Dawn rushed to open it. Gary was standing there.

"What did you call me over for?" he asked.

"Um, for a test." said Dawn.

"Ha, you called me over for a test?" laughed Gary.

"I'm serious." said Dawn. She didn't smile, at least not yet.

"What are you doing Dawn?" he asked as he watched Dawn set up the device.

"I need to scan your finger print and see if it matches the ones found on my mum's wrist. It seems they somehow made her hold a knife and then made her thrust it into herself." said Dawn.

"Well, I didn't do it." said Gary. His voice sounded serious.

Dawn ignored him. "How do I know?" she challenged.

"Just wait and see." said Gary.

Gary put his finger on the scanning pad and waited for the scan to complete. The prints didn't match. Dawn blinked at it in surprise. He was telling the truth after all.

"I'm sorry I..." her voice failed her and she burst into tears.

"No Dawn, don't cry. It's not your fault." whispered Gary. He hugged her close.

Dawn continued to cry until there was a loud knock on the door.

"Dawn! Are you okay! What's going on! Open the door!" shouted Drew.

"Coming! Just wait a minute okay!" shouted Dawn.

The curtains were closed so Drew couldn't peek inside. Dawn led Gary up to her room. She pushed her closet aside to reveal a small door.

"Go inside there. That's my secret library." she indicated. "I'll be back later."

Gary nodded and entered down the stairs. Dawn then rushed downstairs to the front door as Drew banged on the door again.

"I'm okay Drew!" she shouted as she opened the door.

"About time, what was going on?" he asked.

"Oh, I was grieving over my mum. And when you knocked, it was so loud that I got a shock and dropped my cup. I had to clean up the mess before you came in. You know, for safety reasons." she lied.

"Oh yeah, wouldn't want to see your house in a mess." he said.

"Oh, I forgot, I just got this new app, it's a mood checker thing and it tells me your mood." said Dawn. "I want to check it out on you!"

"Fine, fine." said Drew.

He took a seat on the couch as Dawn set up the device. She covered the screen and told him it was a surprise. Drew put his finger on the scanner pad which he thought was a mouse pad.

"Just wait, I need to look at the results." said Dawn. She turned her back to him and looked at the results. The matches were identical. Drew was the murderer. She put on a fake smile and turned around. Not showing the screen, she lied again.

"It says that you're worried!" announced Dawn.

"Yeah, cause I am." said Drew. "About you." he added.

"Aw, thanks Drew." said Dawn sweetly.

She turned off the device and shoved it in her pocket.

"Ok, bye Drew. I need to drop off my Piplup at the daycare centre. It always needs to wait until I get home from school to eat lunch." said Dawn. "Now that mum's gone, it'll be even more alone."

"Oh, I'll come with you." said Drew.

"No, it's okay. I'm going later." said Dawn.

"Then I'll keep you company until then." said Drew.

"No, I've got Piplup for company okay? We really want to spend some time together. It's been a while. And also, I've got buneary and some others as well." assured Dawn. She had to lie about her other pokemon being at home.

"Ok, I'll see you tomorrow. It's Friday tomorrow. So couldn't you just keep those pokemon for Friday? I mean, you've got the whole weekends to look after them." said Drew.

"You know, I can't just spend my weekends caring for pokemon. I've got a party and then I'm getting my new step mum. She doesn't work so she can stay home and look after my pokemon when I'm at school. What's great is that she used to work at a pokemon shelter. She has good caring skills! I'm also getting a step dad so our new family can get money easier." said Dawn. Again, she lied about the party.

"That's good to hear." said Drew. "Bye."

Dawn waited for the door to close before she ran upstairs and opened the secret door to her library hideout. She proceeded down the narrow stair case and entered her library. Gary was sitting on her armchair reading a pokemon berry guide.

"I overheard pretty much everything." said Gary. "Did the prints match?"

"Yes." said Dawn. "I'm sorry I blamed you all that time."

"That's ok." said Gary.

Dawn laughed and sat on the clean carpet of her secret library room. She cleaned it frequently because she went in here a lot. The books and shelves were dusted and there was an air freshener on the side table. The crystal chandelier on the ceiling painted glittering shapes on the rose carpet.

"Does that chandelier have a light switch or does it stay on all the time?" asked Gary curiously.

"Oh, it's got a light switch over there." said Dawn as she pointed at a gold light switch near the entrance.

"Cool." said Gary. "But my house is better."

"I bet not!" said Dawn.

"Come and see, tomorrow after school." said Gary smiling.

Dawn smiled too. "Sure." she said.

Gary and Dawn walked up the stairs and exited the secret library. Gary saw Dawn struggling to push the closet back into place. He gently pushed her back and pushed the closet into place with ease.

"Wow, thanks! You're so strong!" exclaimed Dawn.

"Thanks." said Gary blushing.

Dawn took Gary downstairs and hugged him before saying goodbye. When he left, Dawn contacted the investigating people and waited for them to come. They came in half an hour and collected her information. They confirmed the murderer but said that Drew was too young to go to jail but his parents would be fined at least $2000. Dawn felt satisfied and thanked them as they left her house. Surely things were going back to normal now?

-The End-


	7. Chapter 7

Sunset High

Chapter 7

Dawn sat at her desk daydreaming. She didn't notice Drew entering the class.

"HEY!" he shouted angrily at her.

Dawn jumped in surprise. "W-What?" she asked.

"Don't you dare what me!" he snarled.

At that moment, Gary broke into to the class.

"What the hell are you doing Drew!?" he yelled.

"Asking out Dawn you faggot!" he snarled at Gary.

"Why?" asked Gary.

"Well, you two aren't together right?" he asked slyly.

"Uh, no we're just friends." said Gary.

"Right, so that means I can just take her off your hands." said Drew.

Drew pulled Dawn towards him and hugged her tightly. Dawn tried to get out of his grip but he was too strong. Gary lunged forward but Drew saw him coming and dodged him. Gary was aiming to punch him but Drew kept hiding behind Dawn. He got so frustrated that he just jumped at Drew and knocked him over. Dawn broke free of his grasp and breathed heavily.

"Are you okay Dawn?" asked Gary worriedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." she muttered.

Drew had gotten up and was heading straight for Gary. His fist was raised in the air. Gary saw him and dodged the punch by only millimetres. Gary quickly jabbed his stomach which jolted Drew and left him winded for a few seconds. Gary now got the upper hand and he punched Drew right in the eye. He kicked him in the gut and pushed him into the wall. He punched Drew several times in the face. He had a black eye and a bleeding nose already.

"Gary stop, stop right now!" shouted Dawn.

Gary gave Drew a few more punches and a final punch in the stomach before lowering his fists.

"Gary! What did you do?" Dawn asked.

"You know what I did." said Gary. His fists were still clenched.

"Don't do that again!" said Dawn.

"Yeah, whatever." muttered Gary.

Drew had recovered now and charged at Gary, knocking him over. He pulled him up by the collar and punched his face. Blood spurted everywhere. Then Drew kicked his gut and punched his eye. Dawn screamed for Drew to stop but he didn't listen. Drew was so enraged that he only had one thought in his mind. 'Kill'. He got a metal ruler from the teacher's desk and whipped it across Gary's head. Blood spilled from a deep gash on the side of Gary's head. He gasped, holding his head in pain. Drew didn't care about what he'd done already. He kept attacking. He picked up a chair and threw it at Gary. Dawn jumped in front of Gary and the chair hit her back. She cried in pain. Drew stopped what he was doing, but only for a few seconds. He got angry again and pushed Dawn aside. He grabbed the ruler again and raised it into the air. He was going to stab Gary with it. He closed his eyes and thrust it down. He heard a high-pitched scream and opened his eyes. May had jumped in to save Gary.

"May!" shouted Drew. His voice was filled with grief. "No May! No!"

May looked up at him.

"Don't worry Drew, I'm not going to die okay?" she told him weakly.

"O-Okay, I-I'll take you t-to the nurse." said Drew. He was really shocked that he actually hurt her.

Drew put an arm around May's shoulders and walked with her out of the class. After they were out of sight, Dawn rushed over to Gary. He was lying on the ground, his eyes were closed.

"Gary." Dawn whispered. "Gary, are you okay?"

His eyes fluttered open before closing again.

"No! Gary wake up!" she whispered.

"I'm already awake." said Gary. His eyes were still closed.

"Oh, thank god, I thought you blacked out." Dawn sighed in relief.

"No, I was just resting." said Gary.

"Um, can you stand up?" asked Dawn.

"Nah, I can't." said Gary.

"I'll help you." said Dawn.

She helped Gary to his feet after a few failed attempts. Dawn offered to take him to the nurse but he said he was fine. Gary grabbed a tissue from the teacher's desk and wiped the blood from his face, avoiding the cut on his head.

"Hey uh Dawn, I'm going to the bathroom to clean this up." he pointed to the cut.

"Be gentle with it. And just remember, it's a really deep and big cut so please be careful." said Dawn.

"I'll be okay." said Gary.

Dawn nodded and hugged him before letting him go. She wished Gary would let her clean it for him. She thought she'd do a better job.

Meanwhile, Gary entered the bathroom and turned on the warm water tap. As he waited for the basin to fill, he examined the gash on his head. It was pretty deep. He touched it lightly and winced as pain seared through his head. Blood oozed out of the gash and trickled down his face. He sighed and washed it away. His shivering hand scooped up some water and he let it trickle down his face. Then he rinsed the cut over and over with the warm water. The water in the basin was a reddish colour so Gary released the water and looked at himself in the mirror. The cut was just a reddish line now. It ached a bit but that didn't matter. It looked a lot better than it was before. He decided to go to the nurse to get some disinfectant. His cut would most likely get infected if he just left it like it was right now.

Drew was sitting next to May on the bench, his arms were around her shoulders. He was really scared for May. She meant more to him than anything in the world. The nurse was gently rinsing her wound. He sighed and kissed her forehead lightly.

Gary opened the door to the nurse's room. No one was around. He walked over to the door leading to the beds. It was slightly open. Gary quietly pushed it open. Drew and May were sitting on a bench and the nurse was fumbling through her medicine kit. Drew looked up at Gary and glared at him. Gary could see he had been crying. His eyes were red-rimmed from crying.

"What is it Oak?" asked the nurse rudely.

Gary was shocked beyond belief. The nurse wasn't usually rude like this. She was kind and caring. Then Gary saw the smirk on Drew's face. He had told the nurse a fake story. He probably told the nurse that he was the one who hurt May when actually, it was himself.

"Uh, I just need some disinfectant." said Gary.

"Why, there isn't a scratch on you." she sneered.

Gary was about to pull his fringe back to show her his awful cut but Drew jumped in.

"Excuse me Miss, he's just trying to waste your time." he interrupted.

"No, I'm not you piece of crap, you were the one who cut me!" yelled Gary.

"Shut up you little scrap! Now get out of here!" shouted the nurse angrily.

"B-But I have a-" stammered Gary.

"Lies!" shrieked the nurse. "You're so full of them! Liars like you should just get out of my way!"

"But nurse, I do have a cut, on my head." said Gary.

He hesitated as he looked at Drew's angry glare and then he pushed his fringe out of the way to show the deep gash on his head. By now, Drew had already left the room.

The nurse was speechless. She just stared at the large cut in shock.

"Um, miss, are you okay?" asked Gary nervously as he covered his cut again.

"That needs to be treated immediately." said the nurse.

She offered Gary a seat on the bench next to May and filled a bowl with warm water. She got out some stuff from her medicine kit and placed them on the bench. She took a seat herself and dipped a cloth in the warm water. Carefully, she dabbed Gary's wound. Next, she got out a new cloth and dipped it in the water. She took out a bottle of disinfecting liquid and squeezed a few drops onto the wet cloth. She dabbed the wound lightly. Gary winced in pain and bit his lip.

"It's alright dear, you'll be fine." soothed the nurse.

Gary relaxed again when she finished.

"I'm sorry honey, I didn't know. I can't believe I actually fell for him." murmured the nurse.

"It's okay, you didn't know. He tricked my friend too." Gary sighed.

He waved goodbye to May and then left. This day was turning into a bad one. He had already missed his first class and it was already halfway through break. Just when he thought things were already bad enough, a loud bang came from outside. Gary found the nearest exit out of the corridor and walk to where he thought he heard the bang. The people outside were screaming, some were running around. Teachers were everywhere, shouting for everyone to go inside. Gary left the safety of the sheltered area and ran for the deck where there were some other classes. He hadn't been to these classes yet. They were usually planting classes. He rarely left the corridor. He was looking for Dawn, she was going planting today. He looked inside each class but she was nowhere to be found. Another bang rang out and everyone broke into fits of screams and shouts. Gary panicked as he searched all over for Dawn. A louder bang sounded from nearby. Gary ran around, trying to see where the bangs were coming from. He turned a corner and skidded to a halt as Drew stood with a gun in his hand. He smiled evilly and raised the gun so that it pointed right at Gary.

"What are you doing?" asked Gary.

"What does it look like!?" shouted Drew maniacally.

He pointed at the dead bodies of the principle and two teachers one of them was his own teacher. Gary gasped and started to back away.

"Don't you dare run or I'll blast your head off!" snarled Drew.

He stepped closer towards Gary. Gary was trembling all over. With one swift movement, Drew whacked the gun across Gary's head. He collapsed onto the ground unconscious. The gash on his head reopened and blood streamed down. Drew smirked and walked away.

Dawn sat trembling in the corner. All her senses told her to keep quiet. Drew had just appeared holding a gun. He cut off all the power and she was now alone in the dark corridor. She worried about Gary and hoped he stayed in the nurse's room. If he got killed, it would break her heart. She had a soft spot for Gary. He was interesting, funny and friendly. Not to mention extremely good looking. It's no surprise most girls stare at him all the time. She was too busy day dreaming that she didn't realise the activity going on outside. She listened carefully and picked out the voices of Gary and Drew. There was not a sound for a second but that was broken as Gary gasped in pain. Then there was a long dead silence. Dawn whimpered quietly and slowly got up. She wanted to check if Drew was gone. She waited for a while before walking down the corridor quietly. She crouched down and peered out the window on the door. There was no sign of Drew. She opened the door and walked out. She made as little noise as possible.

She walked over to Gary and put her hand on his chest. She couldn't feel any pulse. Panicking a little, she put her ear to his chest and listened. She couldn't hear anything because the noise of screaming people was too loud. Shivering, she put her hand over his nose. She waited for a long time. She was about to give up when the slightest wave of warm air drifted over her fingers. She sighed in relief and kissed him lightly on the forehead. She didn't care if it was covered in blood.

"Gary, please be okay." she whispered. Her eyes were welling up with tears.

She then realised that there was a knife stuck into his side. She tried not to scream. Slowly, she pulled it out. Then she took off her pink training jumper and pressed it against the wound. When no more blood leaked out, she slowly removed her bloodstained jumper. Slowly, she whispered into his ear.

"Gary, please wake up. I can't lose you." her voice cracked as she said the last few words.

"Dawn." whispered Gary.

Dawn cried with joy and buried her head in his chest. She pulled back as he winced in pain. She remembered his wound and pressed her jumper against it again.

"We need to see the nurse." said Dawn.

"I know." said Gary.

"Are you okay, do you think you can make it?" asked Dawn worriedly.

"Yeah." replied Gary.

He put his arms around Dawn and leaned on her for support as they walked into the dark corridor. They reached the nurse's room and entered. Inside, it was dark and they could see dim candle light from the room with beds. They walked in and saw the nurse patching up some of the students that were shot by Drew and survived. Gary limped in and sat down on the bench in exhaustion. His face was pale and he was trembling all over. Dawn wrapped herself around him to keep him warm. He soon got a bit better and it was his turn to be treated.

The nurse fixed up his wounds and told him to rest a bit. Dawn stayed by his bedside the whole time. The door swung open violently, making Dawn jump in surprise. Ash limped in out of breath. His face was ghostly white. His left shoulder was bleeding where he had been shot. A knife stuck out of his heavily bleeding right leg. Bruises and grazes were all over his body.

"Oh my god, Ash what happened!" screamed Dawn.

She rushed to his side and helped him over to the bench where he waited in line for his turn to be treated. The nurse quickly finished her current patient and beckoned for Ash to get treated first. The patient who was going to get treated but was replaced with Ash just nodded his head and let Ash sit down in front of him. Dawn stared worriedly at Ash. Even though they didn't spend much time together, Ash was from her primary school. Dawn had only just remembered.

Gary looked at Ash in horror. He was the same boy that Drew bullied last month. It looks like when he interrupted them, it made Drew want revenge on Ash. Just then, his attention was turned towards his best friend who limped into the room with a knife in his leg. He had been shot in the shoulder and a long cut trailed down his arm. His black eye was swollen and a big bruise was on his cheek.

"No." whispered Gary dreadfully.

His friend stared blankly at him and took a seat in the line. Gary sighed and tried to rest.

The door burst open and Caroline dragged herself in gasping for breath. Her hands were covered in blood and she had been shot twice in the leg. A knife stuck out of her shoulder and she held a beige-pink fabric in her hands.

"Dawn, Iris is dead." she manage to splutter before a loud bang erupted from behind her.

Caroline fell to the floor, blood was pouring out of her head. She was dead.

"NO! CAROLINE! NO!" screamed Dawn. Her two best friends were gone.

Drew walked in smiling evilly. He whirled around to face Gary.

"Still alive, are you?" he smirked.

Gary whined quietly.

"Ha! Not anymore!" Drew spat.

He raised his gun and pointed it at Gary's head.

"Say goodbye." he hissed.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, May pounced out of nowhere and tackled Drew to the floor.

"No, Drew, stop! Please stop! No more killing! No more hurting!" begged May.

"Hey! Get off me you hag!" Drew yelled.

He took out a knife and slashed blindly because he was struggling to get up.

"No Drew, stop! It's me! May! Just stop! Just stop! Just-" May gasped.

The knife had slit her throat. Drew got up satisfied. He smoothed his hair and looked at his enemy he just killed. His eyes almost popped right out of his head.

"MAY!" he screamed. "NO MAY! YOU CAN'T DIE! YOU CAN'T! NO! MAY! NO DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T GO! I LOVE YOU!" screamed Drew.

"D-Drew..." she whispered.

"No, May. Don't leave me forever." whispered Drew.

May's eyes slowly began to close. No matter how much Drew cried and screamed her eyes never opened.

"May..." Drew choked. He checked her pulse but he didn't get anything. May was dead.

He leaned down and kissed her soft lips before drawing out a knife.

"Drew! What are you doing! She's already dead! You don't need to stab her!" yelled Dawn.

Drew ignored her.

"May, if you are leaving," Drew gulped and wiped away his tears. "T-Then I-I'm leaving too!" he cried.

Drew raised the knife in the air and brought it down to his chest. It stabbed right in. Drew fell onto the floor gasping for breath. He coughed up blood and looked at May's still figure in front of him. He put his arms weakly around her.

"Together forever." he whispered.

Drew's body went limp and his breathing slowly faded. Drew was now dead.

-The End-


	8. Chapter 8

Sunset High

Chapter 8

Dawn lay in bed the next morning. School had been cancelled because they were cleaning the school up and taking away all the dead bodies. She couldn't believe that this would ever happen.

"Oh well." she sighed to herself. "At least he's out of my way. But May..." she cried silently for her lost friend.

May was always nice, she didn't do anything wrong. She didn't deserve to die. Dawn suddenly felt guilty. Part of this was her fault. She brushed away the thought and stared up at the ceiling.

After a few hours, there was a knock on the door. Slowly, Dawn got up to change out of her pyjamas. She trudged downstairs and opened the front door. She was shocked to see a strange woman and man in her front door. She rubbed her eyes and looked closer.

"Humph! Such rudeness!" said the woman, she sniffed in disgust.

"Dear me, who said this dear child, would be so rude to her new parents." said the man. He too, sniffed in disgust.

"Uh, hey there, my name's Dawn." said Dawn nervously. She began to instinctively bite her nails.

"Such rude language from a girl her age, if she were my real daughter, I'd be putting soap in her mouth." said the woman. She pinched her nose and held it up.

"Let me show you around." said Dawn.

She led them into her house and showed them where everything was. She led them to their room.

"Tell me dear, what the hell is that piece rubbish on the table?" asked her step-mum.

She pointed at the wooden photo frame of Dawn and her parents. Dawn glared at her.

"It's not rubbish." Dawn growled.

"Now dear, no time for arguments, show me your room." she ordered.

Dawn sighed and showed her to her room. Her step-mum and step-dad gaped.

"Oh my goodness, this room needs cleaning up!" said her step-mum in disgust.

"I say, it looks like pigs live here." said her step-dad sharply.

Dawn boiled with anger. Her fists clenched and she just wanted to punch them, but she held her anger. She let them off this time, but next time would be different.

They walked around her room, opening drawers and closets. They looked through her stuff and sniffed in disgust when they saw her sketch book. Her step-mum sat down on her bed and beckoned for her step-dad to join her.

"Now what in the world are these?" asked her step-mum rudely.

She pointed at her drawings of her mum and piplup on the first page. Then she flipped over to the next page. It was the sketch of her old friend Hayley.

"Who is this ignorant young girl?" asked her step-dad rudely.

Dawn felt angry at their rude comments on her friend. She ignored her anger and looked on in dismay as they turned the page. It was a sketch of Iris.

"What the hell is up with that stupid girl's hair? If she were my daughter, I'd cut her bald! I believe she would have trouble washing that big pile of mess all the time!" remarked her step-mum in disgust.

Dawn was almost filled to the brim with anger. Could those two just learn to keep their mouths shut for once!?

They turned the pages over and over, each remark sending waves of anger to Dawn's mind. Just when Dawn felt she couldn't take it anymore, they turned the page and gasped.

"My, look at that scrawny boy, his hair is a shambles!" gasped her step-mum.

"I've never seen such hair look so messy! His parents might need some training on how to take care of their child properly." said her step-dad sternly.

"I know. I wonder why he's in there. Maybe he's, special." she whispered the last word.

"Maybe." agreed her step-dad.

They turned and looked smugly at Dawn.

"Ooh! Looks like someone's in love!" smiled her step-mum slyly.

"With a scrawny rubbish dump like him!" smirked her step-dad.

Dawn's anger just went over the brim, it spilled down her face, plastering it in sheer hatred.

"SHUT UP!" she screeched at them.

They jumped in surprise, dropping the book to the floor.

"Dear, don't give me a heart attack." gasped her step-mum.

"SHUT UP AND GET LOST! I DONT NEED YOUR STUPID FACES LOOKING THROUGH ALL MY STUFF! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY ROOM! LEAVE MY HOUSE! I CAN MANAGE WITHOUT YOU TWO FANCY PANTS!" screamed Dawn.

Her step-parents gasped in shock.

"Ooh! Dear me, I spilled my milk, the tragedy!" mimicked Dawn in a high pitched voice.

"Dear, such rudeness!" gasped her step-mum.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP AND GET OUT OF HERE! GO AWAY AND LIVE BY YOURSELF YOU BUNCH OF ASSHOLES! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE AND NEVER COME BACK! YOU HEAR ME!? NEVER COME BACK! I DON'T EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR UGLY FACES EVER AGAIN! GO AWAY! AND TAKE YOUR RETARDED CRAP OUT OF MY MUM'S ROOM OR I'LL SHOOT YOUR FUCKING HEADS OFF!" she screamed.

"Fine dear, we will leave you in your disgusting state and see if anyone cares, we wouldn't want such a child like you around anyway." said her step-mum.

They took their belongings and left the house abruptly. Dawn sighed and called the help-service to arrange for another step-mum. She explained what had happened and apologised for the stress she was causing them. She paid them money from her bank account and put down the phone.

Later after she had dinner, she received a text message on her phone. She was too angry at the moment so she ignored it. After she got ready for bed, she read the text. Dawn gasped in surprise. It was from Gary, she accidentally ignored his text. Dawn felt guilty and she opened the message and read it.

_hey dawn, u forgot 2 visit my house! why don't u come round tomorrow then? see ya._

_-gary! _

Dawn mentally kicked herself, she had forgotten all about going to Gary's house. She quickly texted him back.

_omg, i forgot all about that! sorry, were do u live? i forgot..._

She waited patiently for her reply. She didn't have to wait long because Gary had sent over the text before Dawn could even go downstairs for a drink. She read it carefully.

_heh, forgot alredy? here is were i live ok? 15 sunyshore ave. thats near sunyshore city ok? u liv near hearthome right?_

Dawn smiled and sent a reply.

_how did u know? i liv on 24 sunheart road._

Dawn got a reply after her last text.

_haha, now go 2 sleep. im expecting u 2 be early. visit anytime u like. as long as its not past 5pm k?_

Dawn typed furiously on her phone.

_if i come late, don't u dare lok me out!_

She waited for her reply.

_haha, thnx 4 reminding me! thats a good idea! u hav 2 be at my place no later than 3pm or else ill lock u out! :P_

Dawn glared angrily at the text. She typed a reply in a flash.

_how dare u! i need 2 get reddy! :(_

Dawn stared at her message box, eager to see her reply.

_does it relly take u 5 hours 2 get reddy?_

Dawn smiled triumphantly.

_yeah! i need my beuty sleep u know! DUH! i gotta sort out wat 2 wear! use ur brain gary!_

Dawn smiled all over as she waited for her reply.

_ha, then i suppose i shuld shorten ur time more so u can hurry up._

Dawn went still with shock. How did he beat her in an argument? Dawn was always good at winning arguments. Gary texted another message.

_speechless eh? well if u hurry up, then maybe ill shut the gates later. :P see u tomorrow, g'night._

Dawn typed in a reply.

_good night gary._

Dawn shut her phone off and put it on her bedside table. She yawned before switching off her bedside lamp and going to sleep. She was unaware of the shadow lurking in the corner of her room. She was fast asleep already. The figure walked quietly over to the table and picked up the phone. The turned it on and read the text messages. A thin smile spread across their face.

"I always knew you were soft on the inside Drew, that's what lead you to your death you foolish coward." the figure hissed.

"But I'm different. Your group has nominated me as their new leader. And I shall lead it how I want to lead it. Your group is a bundle of weak crap heads. But I changed them. They're better off under my control. Call yourself a leader Drew? Well I wish you were here to see how much stronger I made your bunch of stragglers. They are much stronger. Much more stronger." the figure growled.

The window opened and closed before the room was completely silent.

-The End-


	9. Chapter 9

Sunset High

Chapter 9

Dawn exited the bathroom drying her hair with a towel. She took a seat on the couch and continued to dry her hair as she watched her favourite pokemon shows. She wasn't used to having the TV all to herself. Her mum always used to hog the TV and watch her pokemon dramas. Dawn bit her lip as the memory whizzed through her mind. She checked the time and turned off the TV. She chucked the wet towel in the laundry basket outside the bathroom door. Now that her mum was gone, she had to do all the house work. She ran upstairs to her bedroom and locked the door, even though no one was in the house it still made her feel safe.

Dawn opened her chest and browsed through her tops and skirts. She pulled out a few and tried them on, looking at herself in the mirror. She sighed and put them back. She didn't look very 'wow' in those clothes. She stepped towards her closet and opened the doors. She pulled out 5 dresses and laid them on her bed. She had never worn any of them before. She wasn't a fan of dresses. She tried on the first one. It was black and sparkly. Dawn shook her head, and returned it to her closet. Next, she tried a purple flowery dress. It was kind of stuffy so she took it off. It was summer of course so wearing it would make her overheat. She put it back in the closet and eyed the other 3 dresses. She picked up a yellow summer dress and tried it on. It was pretty, but it didn't match her hair. Sadly, she returned it to her closet and tried on another dress. It was purple and white. It was extremely gorgeous and cost a lot of money. Dawn liked it straight away. It was thin and light. It was perfect. She quickly put back the other white dress and closed the closet. Smiling, she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked amazing. Dawn sat at her dressing table and opened one of the drawers. She dug around for some earrings that would match her dress. After a while, she found some amethyst teardrop earrings and put them on. She fished out some makeup but she put them back. Dawn wasn't a fan of makeup. She barely ever used makeup or lipstick. Dawn found a small pearl bracelet which she put on. She left the table and went over to her chest of drawers. She opened the bottom drawer and pulled out a pair of flouro purple heels and a pair of sparkly silver ballet flats. Dawn didn't like wearing high heels so she chose the silver ballet flats. She looked at herself in the mirror again before opening one of the upper drawers. She looked at her 3 handbags and tried to decide which one to bring. One was pink, the other was white and silver and the other was lilac purple and silver. Dawn grabbed the purple one and checked herself out in the mirror again. When she was satisfied, she walked outside to the bus stop where she sat and waited for the bus to come.

Gary finished drying his hair and combed it thoroughly. He was wearing a black t-shirt and black skinny jeans. His sister Daisy was just over the top and she pleaded him to wear something nicer than jeans and a t-shirt. Gary shook his head and stomped off to his room on the top floor of his house. He opened his French doors and stepped out onto the white stone balcony. He stood next to a rose flowerpot on the sill and looked out at the sea in the morning sun. He sighed and switched on his phone to check the time.

"Dawn should be here by now." he muttered to himself.

He couldn't tell if she was here or not because his balcony was at the back of the house, not the front. His sister's room was on the second floor but her balcony was at the front of the house. Gary sighed and longed for Dawn to get here sooner.

Dawn stepped off the bus and walked down Sunyshore Ave in search of Gary's number. The houses here were pretty nice. She walked some more until she stopped outside number 15. She gazed up at the beautiful three-story house in awe.

"He lives here?" she muttered to herself.

Dawn walked through the black iron gates which were left open. She walked along the white brick pathway surrounded by red rose bushes. She gazed at the beautiful lush flowers with wide eyes. She looked at the lovely bird baths with many beautiful birds chirping in the early afternoon sun. The path split into two as it went around a marvellous water fountain. Dawn stared at it with amazement. It was beautiful. The intricate floral designs were gorgeous. It was made of white marble. The sound of the rushing water was refreshing in all ways. Dawn tugged her eyes away from it and carried on. She gazed around at all the beautiful things in the gardens. She came across many marble and stone statues that made her stop in her tracks and take a look. She finally neared the front door. Dawn looked up at the house and its many balconies. There were little stone pots of roses on the sills of the balconies. Dawn gazed at the beautiful wooden front door. It had many carvings in it that kept Dawn's eyes glued to it. Her gaze fell on the two marble gardevoir statues on either side of her as she neared the front door. The door bell was golden and when she rung it, a lovely melodic sound drifted through the air. The door opened and a man greeted her. This must be the family's butler by the way he was dressed.

"Welcome, you must be Dawn. Master Gary has been expecting you." he greeted warmly.

Dawn smiled shyly and followed him into the house.

The house was even more beautiful than the outside. The wall was creamy white with gold trim and the polished wooden floor sparkled brightly. A giant crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling. Large paintings hung on the walls with golden frames. Large pots of roses were dotted here and there. She looked at the living area where a huge plasma TV was on the wall. The carpet was white and spotless. The couch was sky blue and the glass coffee table was shining brilliantly with and additional vase of roses. There was a big wooden book case with many books on it. The fireplace wasn't used but it was sparkling clean with not a trace of soot anywhere. Dawn just gazed with wide eyes.

"Dawn, is that you?" asked a familiar voice.

Dawn turned around to see Gary walk down from the stairs.

"Gary!" she gasped.

"Heh, like my place?" he asked smugly.

"Yes, it's amazing!" Dawn squealed.

"Hey butler, you can go now." said Gary.

"Thank you Master Gary." he thanked before going off somewhere else.

"Hey Dawn, how about I show you around?" asked Gary.

"Sure!" said Dawn excitedly.

Gary led Dawn to the kitchen. Dawn just stared at the stainless steel kitchen in amazement. It was shiny and sparkling, just like everything else.

"You hungry?" asked Gary.

"No I'm fine." said Dawn.

"Ok." said Gary.

They continued through the house and eventually went onto the second floor.

"Oh my god, you have a room for your pokemon!" gasped Dawn.

"Yeah." said Gary.

Gary and Dawn eventually finished around the house.

"Phew, I'm tired! Gary, please show me your room now! Please!?" begged Dawn.

"Alright, ok." Gary laughed.

He opened a door which entered to a big room. The walls were light blue and the carpet was white. The drawers and closet were white with gold trim and the white bed was king-sized. A magnificent rainbow chandelier hung from the ceiling.

"Wow Gary, your room is so pretty!" exclaimed Dawn.

"Ha, I know." Gary laughed.

"Hey, can we go outside? It's really hot in here." said Dawn.

"Yeah, we should. Oh wait, just one more thing. Follow me." said Gary.

Dawn sighed in depression and followed Gary. He lead her to a flight of stairs that went up.

"Huh? Aren't we already on the third floor?" asked Dawn in confusion.

"Wait and see." said Gary.

They walked up the stairs and exited into broad daylight.

"Oh, wow!" gasped Dawn.

They were on the roof of the house. There were deck chairs and tables with umbrellas. A big swimming pool sat nearby. All of this was surrounded by white stone rails. They wern't too tall so you could lean over them and look out.

"Oh. My. God." breathed Dawn.

"I knew you'd like it." smiled Gary.

Dawn and Gary were back at his room, out on the balcony gazing at the sea. They had refreshments in their hands.

"Um, Gary." said Dawn.

"Yeah Dawn?" he asked.

"I've been meaning to say this to you for a long time." she said.

"What?" he asked.

"Thank you for being my friend." whispered Dawn.

"That's okay." said Gary.

There was an awkward silence as the two of them stared at the sea. It was almost sunset.

"Um, don't you think we should, like, um, you know, become different friends, like everyone else?" asked Dawn as she broke the silence.

"W-What do you mean?" asked Gary nervously.

"You know what I mean Gary." said Dawn seriously.

"R-Really, you think so?" asked Gary.

"Yeah, all my friends think you and I are."

"Are what?" asked Gary, although he already knew the answer.

"In love." whispered Dawn.

Gary stared at Dawn with a shocked expression. He blushed slightly and hid his face.

"N-No, that's not true." he whispered quietly.

Dawn sighed.

"You don't need to hide it from me okay Gary?" she said quietly.

"Okay, look. I've been drawn to you right from the start okay?" he said quickly.

"Me too." whispered Dawn.

She reached out and closed Gary in a hug. He didn't pull away, he hugged back. They stopped and looked out across the ocean at the setting sun. Dawn began to shiver as a cold breeze waved past. Gary bravely put an arm around Dawn's shoulders and walked with her back inside.

"Do you, uh, want a ride home?" he asked shyly.

"No thanks, I'll walk or catch the bus." said Dawn.

"Hey, you can stay the night if you want. We've got a spare room and stuff." offered Gary.

"That'd be great Gary. Thank you." she thanked him shyly.

"Why are we acting so awkward towards each other now?" asked Gary thoughtfully.

"I don't know but we shouldn't." said Dawn firmly.

"Butler!" Gary called.

The butler came straight away. Hopefully he didn't sneak peek at her and Gary's time out.

"What is it Master Gary?" he asked politely.

"Sorry to bother you but can you go and get some spare clothing from one of the guest rooms? Dawn is staying tonight." said Gary.

"Certainly Master, I'd be happy to help you further if you insist. You seem a bit stressed." said the butler in a concerned voice.

"I'm fine, you can take a break. It must be tough walking around doing other people's work." murmured Gary.

"I actually quite enjoy it, it feels good to be useful." said the butler before leaving the room.

Gary left Dawn in his room as he headed to the second floor for a shower. When he came back up, Dawn grabbed some of the stuff the butler had brought up and followed him to the shower. The house had 3 bathrooms but all of them were being used so Dawn had to wait for Gary.

"Don't take too long." smiled Gary as he walked past in a white bath robe.

"I won't." Dawn laughed.

When Dawn was finished, she walked into Gary's room.

"Oh, you're done." said Gary in relief.

"Ha, you took longer than I did." said Dawn happily.

"I got lost." Gary lied cheerfully.

Dawn giggled and took off her robe. She already had her pyjamas on underneath anyway.

"Uh, want me to show you the spare bedroom?" asked Gary.

"No, I want to sleep with you tonight." said Dawn.

Gary was taken aback.

"Y-You what!?" he exclaimed.

"I want to sleep with you tonight Gary. Please?" she begged.

"Fine." laughed Gary.

"Yay!" giggled Dawn happily.

She jumped onto his bed and went under the covers.

"You seriously want to go under the duvet in summer?" asked Gary, his eyes had a sparkle to them.

"It's not even hot!" Dawn yelled at him.

"Soon will be." said Gary.

Soon, Dawn started to get hot. She was dying from heat under the thick duvet. She finally gave in.

"Too hot!" she gasped.

Gary laughed at her. "Told you." he smiled.

"Hey!" Dawn shouted.

She got up and tackled Gary onto the bed. They rolled round laughing like little kids. Gary slowly got up and picked up the duvet, he threw it on his couch and sprung onto the bed. Dawn jumped on too and started to giggle. She lay down and closed her eyes. Gary smiled at her and lay down next to her.

"Goodnight." he said softly.

"Goodnight Gary." Dawn whispered.

The lights went off as the room turned pitch black. Dawn soon drifted off to sleep.

-The End-


	10. Chapter 10

Sunset High

Chapter 10

Gary woke up to a peaceful morning. He slowly got out of bed and looked at the sleeping figure of Dawn. He sighed and checked the time. It was 7 am.

"Hey Dawn, wake up." said Gary.

"Nhgn!" moaned Dawn irritably.

Gary laughed and left the room. He went downstairs to make breakfast.

"Master Gary would you like me to make it for you?" asked the butler politely.

"No thanks, you already do too much work." said Gary.

"Thank you Master." he said sincerely before walking off.

Gary brought up the tray of breakfast into the room. Dawn had gotten up by now and she rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Breakfast is ready. I made it bigger because we missed dinner last night." said Gary.

"Oh thank you! I'm so damn hungry!" exclaimed Dawn as she grabbed her plate from the tray.

She dug into her bacon and eggs while Gary chewed on his buttered bread. Dawn looked up at Gary from her plate.

"Why aren't you hungry?" she asked.

"I am. I'm just thinking." replied Gary.

He continued to chew slowly. Dawn just shrugged and continued eating. When she finished, she put the plate back on the tray which Gary put on the bedside table. She took her glass of milk and gulped it down. She returned the glass and swiped a napkin and wiped her mouth. Gary was still chewing the same piece of toast when she looked at him.

"What's wrong?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm just thinking, should we really act like this together?" he asked.

"Seems fine to me, but I reckon we should do that when we're a tiny bit older." said Dawn.

"Right, so from now on, we're just friends. But we have our moments." said Gary. His eyes sparkled with mischief.

"Hey!" Dawn yelled at him.

She grabbed Gary's second piece of toast that was still on his plate and took a bite.

"Hey!" he growled playfully.

"You're eating too slow Gary! I guessed you needed help!" Dawn giggled as Gary tried to get his toast back.

Gary grabbed her wrist and took the toast with his other hand. He munched it triumphantly until Dawn swiped it again.

"Try to get it back now!" she challenged him.

"Sure!" laughed Gary.

Dawn took a bite from the toast and squealed in delight as she struggled to get away from Gary. Gary eventually got back the toast and ate it before Dawn could grab it again. He drank his orange juice and wiped his mouth and hands with a napkin.

"That was an interesting breakfast." he smiled at Dawn.

Dawn giggled and helped him carry the tray downstairs to the kitchen. She had a quick shower before she left.

Dawn walked away from the bus stop to her house. School was starting again on Monday. That was tomorrow. Dawn sighed and unlocked the front door. She went upstairs to her room and lay down on her bed. Very soon, life would be going back to normal, she thought.

The next day, Dawn got up to get ready for school. She thought it'd take a lot longer to fix up the school again but they managed in only 2 days. Dawn was walking to school. There was no point in catching the bus anymore. She was lucky to receive a $50 donation every week. Slowly, she trailed across the path with her head down.

When she arrived in her class, she heard an agonised scream from the corridor. She peeked out curiously. She couldn't see anything. She opened the door further until it was fully opened. The corridor was empty except for a few students milling around. Dawn shrugged her shoulders and went back inside her class. She heard the scream again. This time, Dawn couldn't bear it anymore, whoever this was, she needed to help them. She raced out of the class and heard the screaming again. She ran up the corridor and stopped in her tracks. Misty was upside down, dangling from the ceiling by a rope. She screamed and looked at Dawn with petrified eyes. Her friend Amy was running around in circles screaming her head off.

"Calm down!" Dawn yelled at them.

They immediately stopped screaming.

"Just wait, I'm going to get help." Dawn promised them.

"B-Be quick." trembled Misty.

"I'll try." Dawn replied.

Dawn broke into the class and searched desperately for Gary. He was at his desk looking at her in alarm.

"What's the matter?" he asked, putting his book down.

"Misty needs help!" Dawn said impatiently.

"Like I would help her." muttered Gary.

"You have to!" Dawn cried despairingly.

"Fine, I'll do it." grumbled Gary.

"Yay! Thank you Gary! You're so sweet!" cried Dawn as she hugged him.

"Uh, yeah." said Gary. He tried to hide the fact that he was blushing.

Without a glance, Dawn raced out of the classroom with Gary right behind her. She stopped when she came to Misty and Amy.

"What the hell?" muttered Gary.

"Amy! I'm back!" Dawn yelled at her.

"What! Him? He's a big meany! He tripped me up! Get him away! He might hurt Misty too!" she shrieked.

"What? Why did you do that Gary?" Dawn asked him.

"It was Drew's tricks again. He got me in trouble." Gary muttered.

"Wait, so Drew did it?" asked Amy.

"Yeah... That time, he wanted revenge on me. So yeah..." said Gary shyly.

"Oh! And look at this! Drew cut him with a metal ruler!" Dawn exclaimed.

She pulled back Gary's fringe to show the cut. It was almost healed.

"Woah! That is crazy! Sorry for getting mad at you. That must be why you always had bruises everywhere." said Amy.

"Yeah, I don't want to talk about all that." Gary said quietly.

"Hey! Are you guys gonna get me down from here or what!?" yelled Misty.

"Oh, sorry Misty! I got a bit carried away." said Amy.

"Yeah! I heard it all!" Misty yelled again.

Gary lifted up Dawn so she could reach the ceiling and untie the tight knot. She lowered it slowly to the ground so Misty wouldn't get hurt.

"Thank you Dawn!" she exclaimed. "It was so super scary up there!"

"Who put you up there anyway?" Dawn asked.

"I don't really know. I was walking to school early in the morning. I just blacked out along the way. Something or someone must of hit me. And then I woke up tied to the ceiling." she said.

"Strange." said Dawn.

"Yeah, totally!" Amy put in.

"Bye Dawn." Gary murmured before trailing off.

He felt unwanted now. Dawn had some new friends and she didn't even notice he was there anymore.

"Well Dawn, our relationship is breaking a bit cause you don't realise I'm even there." he muttered to himself. "I say bye but you don't even say bye back."

A nearby figure smiled evilly. "Now it's time to shine." they whispered fiercely.

He pounced after Gary and tackled him right to the floor. Gary lashed and hissed ferociously but the figure was too strong. He threw Gary into the wall and pounded the living daylights out of him.

"You'll be expecting more than this." they hissed.

Gary looked at them in fear and he couldn't see who they were because their face was completely hidden in a black hood. He didn't dare to swipe the hood back.

"Next time, I'll fight how I like to fight. This is how Drew fights. He is too pathetic to fight like me. You will see what I mean. I do a certain thing that Drew never does." they growled fiercely.

"Who are you?" Gary asked fearfully

"You can call me, Paul!" he said in a fiery voice.

Gary gasped in shock.

"Why are you doing this to me?" he asked bravely.

"For revenge and for fun you fool!" he cackled like a psycho.

He turned around and ran off, leaving Gary stunned to the core.

"Gary? Why are you lying on the floor?" asked Dawn.

Gary slowly got up and walked away without a word.

"Fine then! Act like an idiot! I don't care!" she yelled after him before walking away with her new friends.

-The End-


	11. Chapter 11

Sunset High

Chapter 11

Gary sat miserably in the middle of a lesson. He was lost in his thoughts. The teacher had told him off several times for not looking at the power point on the whiteboard.  
He exited the class and headed towards the PE class.

When he got there, the teacher explained what they were doing today and ordered everyone to get changed into their PE uniform. Gary walked out of the class and went to his locker where he got his gear out. He walked outside to the field and made his way to the changing rooms. He got changed quickly and faced the boring game of cricket.  
His team lost by far because he let them down.

"What was that about Gary!?" asked Ash furiously.

"..." Gary just turned away.

"Hey! I'm talking to you! Why did you do that!?" Ash yelled after him.

Gary kept walking away.

"FUCK YOU BASTARD!" he screamed angrily after him.

Gary ignored him and entered the corridor.

He put away his stuff and headed for the next class. He wasn't looking where he was going and accidentally bumped into Amy.

"Ew! Get lost you psycho! Stop being an ass to Dawn!" she yelled at him.

Gary just pushed past her and walked away.

"Hey! How dare you do that!" she shrieked after him.

Paul was waiting for him. When Gary came around the corner, he swung the baseball bat as hard as he could. It hit Gary right in the face. Paul smirked and walked away. Gary had no idea what happened. He didn't see who hit him either. He lay on the ground for a while, dazed and stunned. He slowly sat up and stared blankly ahead.

"Gary? Are you okay?" asked Dawn as she put her hand on his shoulder.

Gary just sat there. He didn't say a word.

"Gary? Is there something wrong? I just saw a bat swing around the corner and hit you." said Dawn.

"N-No. Everything's fine." murmured Gary. His voice was barely audible.

Dawn put her arm supportively around him.

"It's ok. You can tell me." she whispered.

"I-It's P-Paul." Gary said quietly.

"What about him? He just a stupid retard." remarked Dawn.

"He's just like Drew come back to life. Except, even worse." whispered Gary sadly.

"Why? What did he do?" asked Dawn.

"This morning, h-he beat me up." Gary choked as he started to cry.

"Stop being a cry-baby okay! It's annoying!" Dawn said irritably.

Gary wiped his tears away furiously and got up.

"I'm going to geology class." he told her before walking off.

"Me too!" Dawn exclaimed before running after him.

The class was an extremely boring class. Dawn yawned many times. When the bell rang, everyone dashed out of the class.

"Wait! We're not finished yet!" cried the teacher.

Everyone ignored her.

Gary walked out calmly and he was met with the door slamming in his face. Outside, Paul sniggered before walking away. Gary got up dizzily. The bruise on his head went worse with the impact of the door.

"Oh my god! Gary, did that hurt?" asked Dawn worriedly.

"Of course it hurt! First I get hit with a baseball bat, now I get slammed in the face with a door!" he cried despairingly.

"Dear, could you please tell me who that boy was." asked the teacher.

"His name's Paul." said Dawn.

"Oh, I should report this to the principal." she told herself.

The old principle was killed by Drew so the school had a new principle now. They stuck with the rules of the school and were just as uncaring as the first.

"Do you want to go get an ice-pack or something?" asked Dawn.

"Yeah, I better get one." agreed Gary.

"I'll come. It's break time anyway." said Dawn.

"Thanks." replied Gary.

They went to see the nurse for an ice-pack and stayed the whole time.

The rest if the school day was just as boring as any other day. It dragged by so slowly that it seemed time had paused altogether. Luckily, Gary didn't get hit anymore for the rest of the day. Dawn walked home with Gary. He waved good bye as they neared Dawn's house. When Dawn entered her house, he continued to walk alone.

A dark shadowy figure hid in the bushes as they crept closer to Gary. At the right moment, they lashed out and pulled him to the bushes. In the bushes, an all out fist fight started. Gary did not have the upper hand as he realised it was Paul. He was quickly overpowered and he blacked out.

Gary woke up in a dark room. Paul was sitting casually at a computer desk where he was typing something. He turned around when he heard Gary gasp.

"Well, well. If it isn't Gary Oak!" said Paul with an evil grin.

"Where am I?" asked Gary in fear.

"You are not to know!" Paul hissed sharply, causing Gary to flinch.

"Welcome to, let's say, my torture chamber." Paul said evilly.

Gary's eyes widened in alarm.

"Now, where to start? I must list all the things you've done wrong." said Paul.

He turned towards his computer and finished typing the rest of the stuff. He turned around again.

"First, you must be punished for being friends with that stupidly ridiculous girl." he smiled.

He stepped up to Gary and punched him in the face. Gary's nose started to bleed.

"Second, you are punished for messing with my group." he hissed.

Paul got out a knife and slashed it down Gary's arm. Gary screamed in pain. He was tied to a chair so he was completely helpless.

"Third, you killed Drew." hissed Paul venomously.

He brought out the knife again and slashed it down Gary's other arm. Gary screamed in pain again.

"Here's what I want you to do." he hissed.

"Kill Dawn. That's all I want you to do and then I'll never bother you again." he whispered harshly.

"Never!" Gary spat.

"Then face your death!" Paul growled as he pulled out a gun.

"So, if you don't kill her by tomorrow, I will kill you. And if you tell anyone anything at all about this, you both die!" he yelled fiercely.

Paul knocked out Gary and threw him where he first attacked him.

Gary woke up with a start. He got up in confusion but fell back down screaming as searing pain sizzled through his entire body. He reeked of blood and sweat. He just lay there in complete silence. He remembered walking away from Dawn's house and then getting pulled into the bushes where he lost his fight and blacked out. Then the fearful memory of the torture room struck him at full force. His whole body shook in fear. His house was still very far away and Dawn's house was only around the corner. He couldn't get up so he dragged himself all the way to Dawn's house. He didn't care about the scrapes he got on his knees. They were nothing compared to his other injuries. He dragged himself up the doorstep and knocked feebly on the door. No one answered after five minutes. Gary knocked over and over again. But no one opened the door. He banged on the door in despair.

"I'm coming!" a voice called.

The door opened and Dawn looked around.

"That's strange, no one's here. I thought I heard something." murmured Dawn.

"D-Dawn." Gary groaned in pain.

Dawn looked down and saw Gary lying on her doorstep.

"OH MY GOD GARY! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" she screamed in disbelief.

"P-Paul." Gary whispered before blacking out.

-The End-


	12. Chapter 12

Sunset High

Chapter 12

Dawn sat at the dinner table eating. She occasionally stole a few glances at Gary lying on the couch. She had cleaned him up and laid him on the couch.  
Sighing, she put her dishes in the dishwasher and went upstairs to her room. There, she pushed the closet aside and descended down the steps.  
She grabbed the book she had left on the armchair and started reading it.  
Dawn found it hard to concentrate when she was reading so she put the book down in frustration and went back to the living room.

Gary was still lying on the couch. His eyes were closed but his breathing was relaxed and slow. Dawn sighed as she sat on the floor and switched on the TV.

One of her favourite shows was on right now. She sat and watched in amazement as her favourite contestant ordered their Gorebyss to combine Surf with Waterfall.

She heard Gary groan behind her and she switched the TV off. Dawn rushed up to him.

"Gary? Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Not really." he muttered.

He examined the bandages on his arms.

"I did those." said Dawn.

"Good." Gary said quietly.

"What's the matter?" asked Dawn worriedly.

"You should know." Gary murmured.

Dawn nodded. "Do you want to go home?" she asked.

"No, I'll stay." said Gary. "For the night." he whispered.

Dawn smiled and hugged him tightly.

"I love you!" she cried with joy.

"Me too." said Gary.

They sat on the couch holding hands as they watched TV.  
A loud knocking on the door ruined their moment together.

"I'll get it." said Dawn as she got off the couch.

She opened the door and saw a woman with brown hair.

"Uh, hi. What do you want?" asked Dawn.

"I'm your new step-mum you silly girl!" she laughed.

Dawn smiled with joy. This lady was much nicer than the other fancy lady.

"Can I look around?" she asked.

"Sure! But I've got a friend over at the moment." said Dawn.

"Oh, that's okay. I don't mind." she smiled.

Dawn led her inside to look around.

"Hello there, I'm Michelle!" she smiled at Gary.

"Hi." said Gary shyly.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Michelle worriedly to Dawn.

"Oh, he always gets bullied by this boy called Paul." said Dawn sadly.

"That must be tough." said Michelle.

"It is. And I have to deal with it." Dawn laughed.

Michelle laughed too and followed Dawn as she told her where everything was.

"Gary, I'm just going upstairs for a while okay?" Dawn yelled across the room.

"Yeah." said Gary. He continued to watch TV.

"This place is awesome!" said Michelle excitedly.

Michelle was quite young. She was only about twenty-five years old.

"This is my mother's room." said Dawn as she opened the door.

"This place is very tidy." Michelle said happily.

She looked at the photo frame of Dawn and her family.

"That's a lovely picture." smiled Michelle.

"Thank you." said Dawn.

Dawn picked it up as Michelle put her luggage on the floor.

"Let's see my room!" said Dawn excitedly as she dragged Michelle by the arm.

"Okay! I'm coming!" Michelle laughed.

Dawn opened the door and laughed as Michelle got a shock from the mess.

"Wow! Somebody needs some cleaning lessons." Michelle laughed.

Dawn smiled as she put the photo-frame on her bedside table. She and Michelle both packed up her room.

"This place looks much better!" smiled Michelle.

"It looks so different!" Dawn exclaimed happily.

Michelle sat on her bed and made room for Dawn.

"When I was little, I used to have a secret garden all to myself. The pokemon that lived there were my friends. I spent basically all the spare time I had in there." said Michelle.

"Cool!" Dawn whispered.

"All was perfect. Until one day..." Michelle looked down sadly. "Until one day, our house caught fire and I was still in the garden at that time. The house burned down in flames, and my whole family died." Michelle said sadly.

"What happened to the garden?" asked Dawn.

"The fire eventually spread to the garden. The pokemon tried their hardest to put out the fire but it was too strong. Some of them ran away but some stayed to protect me. My favourite pokemon was Luxray. Its bravery saved my life. The exit was on fire so we were trapped. It ripped at the hedge as it tried to make a hole. The fire was drawing nearer all the time. I helped him too and together, we ripped at the hedge. When the hole was big enough, I squeezed through and I turned around to help Luxray. The fire was dangerously close now. Luxray got his fur tangled in the thorns and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get him out. I ripped at the hedge and screamed but it didn't help. Luxray nudged me with his head and slipped back into the garden. No matter how much I screamed, it didn't move. The fire engulfed him and that was the last of him. He risked his life to save me, because I was all that ever mattered to him. Because we were best friends." said Michelle as she wiped her tear-stained eyes.

Dawn smiled as she hugged Michelle.

"I want to show you my special secret." Dawn whispered.

Michelle got up and smiled as Dawn pushed her closet aside. They went down the stairs to the secret library.

"This place is wonderful!" Michelle exclaimed.

"I never actually told anyone this was here, because this is my special room. Just like your secret garden." Dawn smiled. "I've only told you and Gary."

Michelle laughed. "Don't worry, I won't come in here unless I have your permission."

"Thank you." Dawn smiled as she lead her back upstairs to her room.

They pushed the closet back and went downstairs for dinner.

"That took a while." murmured Gary.

"Sorry, we were talking." said Dawn.

"Oh." said Gary.

"Do you want a lift home?" asked Michelle.

"I'm staying for the night." said Gary.

"Have you told your parents that?" asked Michelle.

"No." said Gary as he quickly got up.

Michelle laughed as she picked up the phone. Gary typed his phone number and let her talk to his parents.

Michelle put the phone down and smiled.

"You can stay for the whole week if you'd like." she said happily.

"Sure!" he exclaimed. "But first, I need to get some clothes."

"Don't worry, your grandpa is bringing some over tonight." Michelle laughed.

Dawn laughed at him. "Don't be such a worry-wart!"

The two laughed and laughed while Gary stomped back to the couch.

Dawn was in her bed with Gary next to her. It was a bit of a squash since her bed was a single bed but they could fit.

"Good night Gary." she whispered.

"Good night." he whispered.

Dawn smiled as she turned to kiss Gary on the cheek before she turned the light off.

She felt him stiffen beside her. She giggled as she lay back down and closed her eyes.

-The End-


	13. Chapter 13

Sunset High

Chapter 13

Dawn woke up and stretched her arms out. She yawned before lying down again and staring at the ceiling. She turned her gaze to Gary who was sleeping beside her.

"Rise and shine Gary." she said softly.

Gary grunted and turned away.

"Wake up already!" said Dawn irritably.

"Nghn." groaned Gary.

"Fine then!" said Dawn.

She jumped off the bed and grabbed her clothes from the closet. She opened the door and walked towards the bathroom to get changed, brush her teeth and wash her face.  
Dawn walked out of the bathroom feeling refreshed. She made her way back to her room. Standing before the dressing table, she combed her hair and put in her clips. Turning back to Gary, she was annoyed to see that he was still asleep.

"Are you getting up? It's Friday!" said Dawn.

"So?" asked Gary.

"School's starting in about half a hour." said Dawn.

"Whatever." muttered Gary.

He slowly climbed out of bed and made his way towards the bathroom.  
Dawn sighed and went downstairs to make breakfast. She was surprised to find Michelle sitting at the table with a cup of coffee.

"Oh, you're up." said Michelle.

"Yeah, Gary's getting ready upstairs." said Dawn.

"Oh okay."

"We've got school today." said Dawn.

"I know." replied Michelle.

Dawn walked into the kitchen area and cooked up some bacon and eggs. She popped some bread into the toaster and took out some plates. Gary came downstairs and sat at the dinner table with Michelle.

"Breakfast is ready!" called Dawn happily.

She placed the three plates on the table.

"Thanks honey." said Michelle sweetly.

"Eh, thanks." mumbled Gary.

Dawn sighed and shook her head.

"You never change." she muttered.

Dawn filled two glasses with milk and set one in front of Gary. She took a seat at the table and started to gulp down her food like a munchlax.

"Hey, slow down or you'll choke." said Michelle.

Dawn smiled sheepishly and ate slower. Gary just shook his head and tried to hide his laugh.  
Michelle stood up from the table and headed for the stairs.

"Well, I think you two should be heading off." she said cheerfully before disappearing upstairs.

Dawn picked up the plates and loaded them into the dishwasher before grabbing her school bag and walking out the front door with Gary.

"We should really catch the bus or else we'll be late." said Gary.

Dawn nodded and walked up the street towards the bus stop.

"I'll pay for you." offered Dawn.

"Yeah, cool." mumbled Gary.

The bus arrived a few minutes later and they boarded. In about ten minutes, they were outside the school gates.

"Come on, school starts in five minutes." said Gary.

Dawn followed him through the gates, past the reception office and into the corridor. They headed towards their class.

"Dawn! Where were you? You're so late!" exclaimed a voice behind them.

Dawn turned to see Amy and Misty walking towards them.

"Ew, you still hang out with him?" asked Amy in disgust.

"I just can't help it. He just always seems to find a way into my heart." admitted Dawn.

Misty giggled and whispered into Amy's ear. The two girls giggled again before Amy waved goodbye and walked away. Misty followed Dawn and Gary into the class.  
The teacher called the register before sending everyone off to their classes.

"Gary, I want a word with you." she said sternly.

Gary gulped as he walked up to the teacher's desk.

"What is it miss?" he asked nervously.

"I had an email from a teacher from one of your classes yesterday." said the teacher.

Dawn stood beside Gary as she a soothing hand on his shoulder.

"Dawn, go away. This doesn't concern you." said her teacher.

"If Gary is involved with this, then I'm involved." said Dawn stubbornly.

Her teacher sighed in frustration and slammed her fist on the table.

"Dawn Berlitz, get out of the class immediately or you will face dentention after school." said the teacher darkly.

Dawn stood where she was until Gary put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"It's not worth it." he whispered.

Dawn sighed and picked up her stuff before walking out of the class.

"Now, as I was saying," started the teacher. "That teacher said she was concerned about you and this other boy named Paul."

Gary nodded and invited her to go on.

"He has been a pain to you, hasn't he?" she asked.

"More than just a pain." said Gary quietly.

The teacher gave him a questioning look.

"Uh, he hurts me." said Gary.

"How?" asked his teacher.

"Physically."

"Is that it?" asked his teacher.

"Uh, yeah." said Gary nervously.

His teacher looked at him with sharp eyes. Her gaze told him that he hadn't told her enough. She somehow knew he was hiding something.

"Whatever is troubling you, it would be best to let someone know. You could get help." murmured the teacher.

"Uhm, well..." started Gary. "Yesterday after school..."

"Stop stalling and tell me!" snapped his teacher angrily.

Gary jumped in surprise.

"I'm sorry, go on." appologised his teacher.

"Yesterday after school, I was walking home with Dawn. I said bye to her when we neared her house. After that, I was all alone. Paul attacked he and I blacked out." said Gary.

"What happened after that?" asked his teacher.

"I woke up in this dark room. I was tied to a chair and Paul was on his computer. He turned around and started to say all the things I've done wrong that made him angry. So for each thing, he would hit me."

"How many times exactly?"

"About three." said Gary. "First, he punched me, then he cut me with a knife once on each arm."

"Oh dear, this sounds like a student that might pose a threat to the school!" she exclaimed. "I must call the principle immediately."

She picked up her phone and jabbed at the numbers desperately.

"Miss, you don't need to rush." said Gary.

"Don't call me that! Call me Mrs. Hudson." she growled.

Gary nodded and let her talk with the principle.  
After a while, she put the phone down.

"He can't possibly kick Paul out of the school for no reason. He needs proof." said Mrs. Hudson.

"Oh, okay." said Gary.

"Thank you hun', now go and enjoy your break." she said kindly.

Gary smiled and walked out of the class. He met up with Dawn right outside the entrance.

"Were you waiting here all this time?" asked Gary.

"No, I just came back." said Dawn.

"Good." said Gary.

"Are you hungry?" asked Dawn.

"No, I'm fine."

He walked with Dawn to meet up with her friends.

"Hey Gary!" yelled an angry voice.

Gary turned to see Ash storming up to him.

"What was up with you last week!?" he growled.

"Are you still dwelling over that?" asked Gary.

"Yeah! Because now I'm getting teased because I lost to a crappy team!" yelled Ash.

"Ash, just calm down and give us a break." sighed Dawn.

"Dawn, stay out of this." growled Ash.

"Leave him alone!" she said protectively.

Ash glared at her and pushed her out of the way. Dawn fell to the floor and gazed sadly at Ash as he started to advance on Gary.

"Do you think it's okay to humiliate people like this?" snarled Ash.

Gary just shook his head.  
Ash roared angrily and tried to punch Gary.

"Don't make me angrier than I already am!" he threatened.

"You already are very angry." said Gary simply.

Ash screamed in frustration and lash at Gary.

"I don't want to start a fight with you." said Gary.

Ash just ignored his words and continued to attack.  
He got one punch at Gary's stomach which caused him to groan in pain. His frail body couldn't handle any more damage.

"Ash! Stop! Can't you see he's already had enough!?" yelled Dawn.

Ash ignored her and continued to try and hit Gary.

"Maybe his ability is Soundproof..." muttered Dawn.

Gary choked as Ash kicked him in the gut.

"Ash, stop now!" shouted Dawn.

"I don't want to fight you." Gary managed to say before Ash punched him in the face.

"Ash! Stop now!" Dawn shouted again.

Amy and Misty came running up to her.

"What's going on?" asked Misty.

"Stop Ash, right now." whispered Dawn.

Amy and Misty nodded before running up to Ash. They pulled him away from Gary and threw him into a locker.  
Ash tried to lunge forwards put the girls held him back. Dawn ran up to Gary to inspect him. He was a bit stunned but he was okay.

"There, I didn't fight. Are you happy?" asked Gary.

"More than happy!" smiled Dawn.

She enclosed him in a big hug and didn't let go until she heard Amy giggle.

"What is it?" asked Dawn.

"Oh, nothing!" she lied. She left a clue for Dawn which told her what she meant.

Dawn looked crossly at Amy and Misty as they burst into laughter.  
Ash realised that they were not gaurding him anymore so he raced up to Gary.

"You will pay." he hissed.

"Ash, just chill." said Dawn sternly.

Ash sighed in depression and nodded.

"As you wish." he muttered before walking off.

Gary suddenly remembered what he had to do. The threatening message from Paul. He had to kill Dawn, or else Paul would kill him. But why would Paul want him to kill Dawn? Couldn't Paul do that himself?  
But then, what would happen afterwards? Paul would obviously take the blame. Did Paul want to avoid the trouble of getting suspended by getting someone else to do the job? He did say that he liked to torture people for fun. Did he think it'd be fun to pick on a young couple like-  
Gary shook his head in frustration.  
Him and Dawn? No way! It couldn't be possible. Could it? All this time, was it friendship? Or was it something else?  
Gary combed a hand through his hair as he tried to reorganise his brain.  
Why would he like Dawn anyway? She was just a friend.  
Gary recited the words in his head over and over again. Of course she's just a friend, what else could she be?

All this time, he was under the watchful eyes the school's most popular girl. She smiled wickedly.

"Boy, you're hot and all. But you always listen to that brat," she whispered. "I know you can fight. I know you are hiding something. I know, that you and I will combine as one. I know I love you. And soon, you will too."

She waited for Dawn to walk away with her two other friends. She cursed under her breath as Dawn beckoned for Gary to join her.

"Crap!" she hissed. "I guess this job requires more than your everyday tricks."

She followed them to next class which was the same as hers. She got to her feet and walked normally into the class. When she entered, she flicked her hair back and flashed a smile at Gary.  
She glared at him when she realised he had his back turned to her. He was chatting to a boy which she reckoned was one of his friends.

Taking a seat next to Gary's friend, she flicked her hair back again and checked herself in her little mirror. She was annoyed to see that she was being ignored.

"This isn't working..." she muttered. "Time for plan B."

Getting up from her chair, she walked past Gary's desk and pretended to trip over. She made it look as dramatic as she could to get his attention.  
Gary turned to look at her.

"Melody, are you okay?" he asked.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine," she said shakily. "If it weren't for that girlfriend of yours."

"She's not my girlfriend." said Gary angrily.

"Oh yeah? I bet ya a hundred bucks you love her to bits!" challenged Melody.

Gary stared at her with sharp eyes.

"You're tricky."

Melody chuckled and walked back to her desk.  
Dawn glared coldly at Melody's back.

"Er hem! Class, quit loitering and get on with your work!" said the teacher crossly.

Melody smiled at Gary before turning away and starting her work.  
Dawn growled jealously at Melody.

"Stop being a total freak!" hissed Dawn.

Melody raised her middle finger at Dawn without even looking back.

"Why you!" Dawn boiled with anger.

"Dawn, keep it cool." said Gary.

Melody giggled and went back to work.

When the class finished, Melody smiled down at her hands.

"Dawn certainly has anger issues." she muttered to herself.

She got up from her desk and walked towards Gary's desk. He was still busy packing up his things to notice her.  
Leaning over his desk, she began to show off her magic.

"So, Gary. There's a social night tonight. Are you coming?" asked Melody sweetly.

"Yeah, of course," said Gary. "Only nerds skip the socials."

Melody chuckled softly.

"Who are you dancing with? Dawn, I presume?" she asked in a soft tone.

"No one. I'm not that big on stuff like that." muttered Gary.

"Oh, I think you are very big on things like that." Melody put on her sugary voice.

"Uh, I'm not quite sure..." said Gary awkwardly.

"You can dance with me." whispered Melody.

"Uh, no thanks." said Gary shyly as he began to get up.

Melody put her hands on his shoulders.

"Then go with Dawny. I bet she'd like that." whispered Melody.

Gary shook his head.

"You don't like her?" questioned Melody.

"It's not that. I just, don't want to."

"I think you do. But you're hiding it. Deep down..." whispered Melody.

She leaned closer to him until she was almost touching him.  
This was it, the moment she had always been waiting for. Her heart beat excitedly. She couldn't contain herself. Her, Melody, was only a centermetre away from Gary Oak. One of the hottest guys in the whole school.

Gary stared at her and started to blush.

"Uhh... What are you doing?"

"Shh... There's no need for words..." Melody whispered softly.

With one last glance, she leaned forwards and kissed in full on the lips.  
She could feel him stiffen but she didn't care, she was kissing Gary. She felt like she just won the Olympic Games!  
She pulled away and breathed excitedly.

"What the hell was that about!" screamed an infuriated Dawn.

Melody looked up to see Dawn stomping towards her.

"Get off him!" she roared.

Melody laughed and stood up from Gary's desk. He was sitting and staring at her in stunned silence.

"Meet you tonight!" Melody said cheerfully as she exited the room.

Dawn collapsed in front of Gary's desk.

"Why did you do that?" she asked miserably. "I thought you loved me..."

"Dawn, I do-"

"No you don't!" she cried.

"Dawn, please listen to me."

"Shut up!" Dawn snapped.

Gary flinched at her harsh tone.

Dawn sighed and stood up.

"I should have taken Drew's advice after all." muttered Dawn. "You never loved me, you never cared!"

"Dawn, think about all we've been through together. Think about the moments we shared." said Gary. "Don't they mean anything to you?"

"Not after that incident!" growled Dawn. "I'll never forgive you!"

"Dawn, it wasn't me. It was her."

"But-"

"No Dawn, just stop. You need to control yourself. Don't let anger take you too far."

"But you-"

"Dawn! Just listen, for god's sake!"

"What?" Dawn sighed.

"She just came up to me and went straight to it. I never suspected it."

"I know. But you didn't pull away."

Gary sighed in defeat.

"I guess you have a point..." he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. It was my fault I got mad. I just couldn't contain myself. It's like, I just convulse with anger everytime she does something."

"Dawn, there's a feeling called 'jealousy' and just before, you were feeling it."

"It's so strong. I couldn't resist. I just had to go along with it. It felt so irresistible, I had to feel that way."

"I know. The same as when Melody launched her attack," admitted Gary. "I wanted to pull away. But some sort of strange force just kept me glued to the spot. Almost like I was paralysed."

Dawn smiled and gazed at his warm brown eyes.

"I take back all I said to you. I don't think you deserve them." she whispered.

"That's okay, you didn't mean to. You were blinded by rage, you couldn't gain control."

Dawn walked out of the classroom beside Gary. For some reason after her experience, she felt closer to Gary than she'd ever felt before.  
She fixed her gaze on him and realised that he was staring right back. Instinctively, her hand slipped out and met his. She held on tightly as if for dear life.

"There's always a time when you just have to let your thoughts run free." whispered Gary.

"And that time is..." whispered Dawn excitedly.

"Now." they both whispered to each other.

-The End-


	14. Chapter 14

Sunset High

Chapter 14

Gary stepped out of his red sports car and gazed around at the many cars parked outside the school. He waved goodbye to his mum as she drove off. His hair was waxed and slicked back in a cool style.

"Where is Dawn?" he muttered as he walked inside the hall where they were holding the social.

"Oh Gary!" piped a cheerful voice.

Gary turned to see Melody walk towards him. She was wearing a silver strapless dress that ended just above her knees. Gary eyed her up and down as he took it all in.  
He had to admit that she looked stunningly gorgeous, but he didn't say.

"How do I look?" she asked excitedly.

"Not bad." said Gary blankly as he walked away from her.

"What do you mean NOT BAD!?" she asked angrily. "I spent HUNDREDS on this dress!"

"Then that's your problem." said Gary.

Melody sat down to calm herself. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Feeling a bit discouraged, she went over to her friends for help.

"Mel, you should really just attack him on the spot. It'll capture lots of attention and you'll feel great doing it!" said one of her friends.

"Or maybe, you could try to take things slow." said another. "You'll be rewarded if you're patient."

"I can't wait! I absolutely HAVE to get him NOW!" said Melody urgently.

"Then go get him Mel! You can do it!" encouraged her friends.

Melody nodded and dashed up to Gary excitedly.

"What do you want?" he asked irritably.

"That's no way to treat a popular girl like me!" said Melody crossly.

"Whatever." muttered Gary.

"So Gary, since you haven't got a partner, could you dance with me?" asked Melody.

"No." said Gary.

"Why not?" Melody asked suspiciously.

Gary thought for a while but Melody couldn't wait any longer. She grabbed him and shoved him into the wall.

"Whoa, what are you are doing?" asked Gary.

"You'll see." whispered Melody.

She pressed herself against him and kissed him on the lips.

"Stop!" demanded Gary.

Melody moaned in pleasure as she forced open his mouth and let her tongue do the talking.

"Go Mel! Go Mel! Show em' how you do it! Show em' how you move it! Gooooooooo MEL!" her friends cheered.

Melody was so engrossed in kissing that she didn't notice what was happening around her.  
Groups of people were crowded around and watching.  
Melody tore herself away from Gary's tender lips and looked at everyone.

"Get lost you assholes!" she snarled.

"Get lost! Get lost! Mel is busy so fuck off!" cheered her friends.

Melody turned back to Gary and looked at his face. It was mixed with shock and embarrassment.

"No need to be scared." whispered Melody. "It's just me."

She leaned forwards and kissed him again.

Gary glared at her. This was it. He had had it with her.  
Gary thrust her away and gave her a big shove that knocked her off her feet. She screamed as she fell onto the table and flipped it over.

"Gary! Oh my god! What did she do to you!?"

Gary turned to see Dawn running towards him. She enclosed him in a tight hug.

"Did she do it again?" asked Dawn.

"Yeah, this time..." Gary trailed off.

"This time what?" asked Dawn.

"Tongue troubles." said Gary.

Dawn glared at Melody angrily.

"She sure did deserve that push." muttered Dawn.

Melody had gotten up now and started to charge towards Dawn.  
Dawn shrieked as she was knocked off her feet and tackled to the floor.

"Gary, help!" she cried.

Gary ran to help but he was knocked over along the way. He sat up and rubbed his head dizzily.

"NO!" screamed Dawn.

Melody slapped her across the face and glared at her.

"I can punch. Don't think I can't." she said darkly.

"Mel can fight! Mel can fight! She will beat you up tonight!" cheered her friends.

Dawn whimpered in fear.

"What do you want?" she asked in a shivery voice.

"Just stop stealing my boyfriend." spat Melody.

"Please don't steal! Please don't steal! Mel will make your mind unreal!" cheered her friends.

Dawn shook her head. "No way in hell you bitch."

Melody screeched angrily and punched Dawn twice in the face.

Dawn wept silently. She had never felt such intense pain before in her life.

"Aw look, the little bitch is crying!" Melody sneered.

"Little bitch! Little bitch! Little bitch, cry as you wish!" cheered her friends again.

Gary tried to get to Dawn but he was held back by Paul.

"I thought I told you to kill her!" he hissed.

"I forgot." spat Gary sarcastically.

Paul punched him in the eye and pulled him up by the collar of his shirt.

"You think you can play games with me?" growled Paul.

Gary blinked at him with lifeless eyes.

"Don't look at me like that! Kill her now!" he yelled.

Gary shook his head and pulled away from Paul.

"Disagree, do we?" Paul asked with an edgy voice.

Gary gulped. He had just triggered Paul's fuel box. He was going to go rage any moment now.

Paul roared angrily and punched Gary in his weak spot. Gary choked and bit back the urge to scream.  
He was immediately thrust into the wall and punched several times in the stomach. He gasped and breathed heavily as blood dripped out of his mouth.  
Gary kneed Paul in the gut but was immediately slammed back against the wall by Paul's friends. He counted four altogether.

"Get that bitch!" spat Paul furiously.

The four boys attacked Gary ferociously. No matter how many teachers came to pull them away, they just kept on coming from every angle.  
He was huddled in the corner as the all five of them beat at his back. He was in his most defensive position but his back ached with the intensity of each blow. He was pulled back from the wall and kicked in the gut. He spluttered out blood and fully exposed his stomach. They were upon him in less them a second, hitting him as hard they could on his weak side.

Paul's friends stepped back as they let him do the final moves to finish off.

"This is too fun to enjoy." hissed Paul.

He punched Gary in the stomach which made him groan in pain.

"What you wish for is never going to come true." Paul hissed again.

He punched him in the nose pushed him to the floor. Gary tried to take in all the severe pain he was feeling.

"Does it hurt?" asked Paul evilly.

"Paul Shinji! You are to report to the principal's office immediately!" yelled a teacher sternly.

"Yes miss." said Paul. He snarled nastily at Gary before storming off with all the pride in the world.

"And Melody, I believe the principle would like to chat with you too." said the teacher.

"Of course." said Melody. She too, walked off with pride.

"Everyone, please continue and enjoy your night." said the teacher.

Everyone carried on dancing and chatting.  
Dawn pulled herself to her feet and leaned heavily against the wall. She wasn't planning on coming to the social night just to get hurt; she was planning to spend time with Gary.

"Oh Gary... If I didn't show up, you'd be perfectly fine..." Dawn whispered miserably.

"Hey Dawn, you okay?" asked Amy.

"Yeah, I'm fine." said Dawn quietly.

"You look devastated." said Misty.

"..." Dawn just stared at the ground.

"What's up?" asked Amy cheerfully.

"It's Melody." cried Dawn pitifully.

"What did she do?" asked Amy.

"I don't want to talk about it." Dawn muttered as she walked away.

Amy and Misty were left stunned but they shrugged it off. Maybe Dawn just needed a bit of space.

Dawn walked outside and welcomed the cool evening breeze. Her hair blew gently in the wafts of air.

"Gary, why?" whispered Dawn. "Why must our relationship be so tough? Why are people trying to stop us?"

She sat down on a bench and gazed up at the peach coloured sky. Orange clouds drifted lazily past and the sun began to sink.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she turned to see one of the girls from Melody's group.

"I just wanted to talk." she said.

"Go away." said Dawn.

"Look, Melody's really upset that you stole Gary from her. She wants him back. But you won't hand him over without a fight."

"That's right, and Gary was mine before she even knew him."

"No Dawn, you're wrong." said the girl.

Dawn looked at her questioningly.

"Melody knew Gary ever since primary school. She's been in love with him all this time."

"Well I'm sorry, but Gary said he was free."

"You could say so. Melody never actually told him anything until now, she's too scared."

"Scared?" asked Dawn incredulously.

"Well, she once made him angry. Like, really angry."

"What did he do?" asked Dawn.

"He hit her and broke her arm." said the girl.

"Oh..." said Dawn quietly.

"He's got issues. But he's getting better at controlling them. When he was little, he used to bully this other boy. But not anymore."

"It's good to know he can control himself better I guess..." mumbled Dawn.

"Yeah, see you." said the girl as she walked away.

It was a bit of a shock to hear that Gary used to be a bully when he was little. Dawn was actually kind of scared. For some reason, she felt a bit sorry for Melody. It must of been tough to live up to the fact that she was in love with Gary. But she was scared because she thought he might hurt her again. It would be best to approach Gary in a safe way.  
He seemed to be a very bright person, but who knew he had a dark side?

"Oh Gary... I'm so afraid." whispered Dawn.

"Afraid of what?" asked a voice.

Dawn looked up to see Gary walking towards her. He sat down next to her and looked her up and down.

"Did Melody hurt you?" he asked.

"Yeah." muttered Dawn.

Gary tilted her head up to gaze into his eyes. They were so full of compassion, but were they real? Dawn mentally kicked herself. Did she still believe the words of Drew?  
His words were very convincing though. He was clever.

"Is everything okay?" asked Gary.

Dawn ignored him and looked at him tearfully.

"Stop being a cry-baby." he said irritably.

Dawn heard the ignorance in his voice. The girl was right; he still had traces of his old self.  
Even with all the cuts and bruises on his face, she couldn't feel sorry.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

His voice was anything but sweet.

"You." whispered Dawn.

"Me!?" he asked in a shocked voice. "What the hell did I do!?"

Dawn stared miserably at the ground.

Gary had his fists clenched in anger.

"And to think you cared." he mused.

Dawn continued to stare at the ground.  
That was when Gary lost control.

"Why are you ignoring me!?" he asked angrily. "LISTEN!"

He gave Dawn a big shove that pushed her right off the bench.  
She landed on the ground and began to cry.

"Oh my god, stop acting like a preschooler!" yelled Gary in annoyance.

He stood up in frustration but was forced back down again by the pain in his stomach.

"Why does Paul have to hit me so hard?" he cursed.

He slowly got up and began to walk away.

"Gary? What is wrong with you!" cried Dawn.

"What's wrong with YOU!" he shouted angrily. He began to walk briskly towards her.

Dawn was relieved to see that he was coming to help.  
But no...

Dawn screamed as Gary pulled her up roughly and pushed her into a rubbish bin. She sobbed and pulled herself away.

"Why did you do that Gary?" she asked.

"Serves you." he muttered and turned away.

Dawn growled angrily and stormed up to him. She turned him around to face her.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" he yelled.

Dawn slapped him across the cheek angrily.  
One of the cuts on his cheek started to bleed again.

Gary glared at her and slapped her across the cheek in return. She collapsed to the floor and screamed.

"I'm going." said Gary angrily as he took out his phone and called his sister.

"No, Gary! Please don't go!" shrieked Dawn.

She grabbed onto his arm as she tried to drag him away from the carpark.

"Get the fuck off!" he yelled.

Gary grabbed her wrist and twisted it in a brutal manner. Dawn screamed and cried as she clutched her broken wrist in pain.

The red sports car showed up and Gary hopped in.

"Take me to Dawn's house so I can pick up my stuff." said Gary.

His sister nodded and sped off.

Dawn sat in terror and huddled underneath a tree. Gary had just randomly turned on her. Just like when he turned on Melody. She now experienced what Melody had a few years ago. Yes, it was terrifying. Suddenly, all she said to Gary the day before disappeared without a trace. All this 'I love you' and 'I love you too' rubbish that she said yesterday went into the bin like it belonged there. She stared up at the sky which was now dotted with glittering stars. She got up and began to walk home.

-The End-


	15. Chapter 15

Sunset High

Chapter 15

Gary buried his head in his hands in anguish. He couldn't believe he hurt Dawn like that. The more he thought about it, the worse he felt.

"She probably hates me now." he murmured out loud.

His sister parked outside Dawn's house and got out of the car.

Gary remained in the car and stared blankly at his hands.  
He wanted to apologise to Dawn but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He knew that Dawn wouldn't accept his apology. He had just about messed up everything.  
But he couldn't help thinking that part of this was Dawn's fault. She was the one that made him more agitated when he already was.

His finger trailed to the spot where Dawn had last touched him. It was a slap but he didn't care. He would never feel her touch ever again.

"Dawn..." he whispered. "I'm sorry."

His sister got back and drove them towards home.

Daisy looked at him worriedly. "What's up? Feeling a bit-"

"Yes." growled Gary.

Daisy shrugged and continued driving.

Gary didn't mean to be rude to her when she was trying to help but he wasn't feeling happy at the moment.

As the car parked outside the gate, Gary got out and walked through the gates.  
Walking into the deepest part of the humungous front garden, he found a garden swing and sat on it. A small water fountain nearby calmed his thoughts with its rhythmic splashes.  
Gazing up at the sky, Gary felt better when the twinkling stars were up and supporting him. He'd just have to try and avoid Dawn for a while. Maybe that would give him some time to forget about the little incident that happened. Or at least, let it fade slightly.

"Dawn, you'll hate me even more if I try to make a move. So I'll give you some time. Whenever you're ready, just talk to me." said Gary quietly.

"I think she'll never be ready!" shouted Daisy.

Gary jumped and got off the swing.

"Were you listening to me?" Gary asked.

"Well, yeah." said Daisy guiltily. "I was just coming to get you."

Gary sighed and nodded. "Okay."

He followed his sister out of the garden and into the house.

"Go get a shower and then head to bed." said Daisy wearily. "If you want, you can grab a snack."

Gary shrugged and walked upstairs to his room.

Dawn lay in her bed miserably. Michelle had stayed away as to give her some space. She didn't really like Gary anymore. He was already very frustrated and she just made him worse. But it didn't mean he had to take it out on her. It didn't make much sense but it happened either way. Her life seemed to be like a very bumpy rollercoaster ride.  
Some points, she just soared above the crowds. When at some points, she plummeted below sea-level.

"Oh Gary, why did this have to happen?" she cried.

Burying her face in her pillow, she sobbed a sea of tears. Her pillow was drenched and her face was wet with tears.

"I wish I could make you happier. But if I try, you'll hurt me again..."

What could she do to help Gary ease his thoughts? If she even spoke a word to him, he'd probably knock the air out of her. If she kept her distance, would time soothe his hidden personality?  
Could anything calm him down? What would she do if he never changed? If he went back to being himself in the past, she'd never be able to change him back to the Gary she knew. What happened to 'now' Gary? Had 'past' Gary taken control of him? Or did he let himself fall into evil hands?

Dawn shook her head angrily. The girl said that he has had issues since he was little. He has learned to control them. But every now and then, they resurface.

"Paul was using me as a key." whispered Dawn. "And the girl that talked to me before was trying to give me a hint."

Obviously, Dawn hadn't understood that she was hinting trouble. Otherwise, why would she randomly come and tell her all of this? She wasn't making it obvious, just in case someone was spying.

Dawn clenched her fists tightly. She hated how much knowledge she lacked. She wasn't particularly smart. Nor was she stupid. She was normal but a tiny bit above. Still, it wasn't enough to let her get the message.

"Paul is tricky. And smart." sobbed Dawn. "He's strong and can easily convince others to help him."

Melody probably didn't even want to get along with Gary. It was probably all for the sake of Paul's plan. Though, she did seem very excited after she kissed him. Maybe she was...  
Dawn slapped herself. Maybe she was using Paul's plan to mix into hers so she can get Gary back as well as help out Paul. She could be acting innocent. Maybe...

Dawn turned off the bedside lamp and went to sleep. She ignored the damp pillow underneath her.

The next day...

Dawn woke up early and fixed herself up. After she was ready, she ate a quick breakfast and caught the bus to school.

Walking through the school gates, she headed past the administration office. She went towards the door that led into the corridor. When Dawn reached it, she turned the handle and found that it was locked. Checking the time on her phone, it read ten past seven.  
But then Dawn literally kicked herself. It was Saturday today!

Dawn screamed at the sky in frustration. She was such an idiot. Her rage took over as she went on a wild rampage.

She kicked the wall several times and threw a large rock at the window. It shattered under the impact.  
Storming towards the gardening classes, she smashed all the windows and tossed flowerpots onto the roofs. She trampled all the gardens and pulled out vegetables and plants. She picked up a chain saw and shredded all of the plants in the entire garden.

Running towards the nearest flower bush, she hacked it with the chain saw until it was a pile of leaves and petals. She did the same to all of the other bushes. Running to a small tree, she sliced it through the middle and let it fall to the ground. She found the hall and shattered all of the windows. Running inside, she sawed down posters and cut chairs in half.

Running out of the hall, she felt good to do this. She felt so happy all of a sudden. She had to do some more damage. It was way too fun.

Charging into the corridor, she entered every class and shredded everything inside. One of the classes had a pet fish but she didn't care. Picking up the fish bowl, she threw it out the window and watched it shatter on the concrete.

"Take that!" spat Dawn.

She continued to go through all of the classes and destroyed everything she could. All she had to do was move. The chain saw did all the work as it tore through everything in its path.

Dawn walked out the front gate and threw the chain saw at the principle's window. It shattered to smithereens.

"This feels good!" Dawn screamed wickedly.

She cackled and walked back home. This was such a fun way to clear things up. Maybe this would help Gary.

"The retard should do this to his garden." she scoffed.

Unlocking the front door, she entered and sat on the couch.

"I was wondering where you went on a Saturday morning." said Michelle.

"I went to school." said Dawn.

"What for?" asked Michelle.

"I thought it was a school day." giggled Dawn.

Michelle laughed and continued to type on her laptop. Dawn turned back to the TV and frowned.

"Where's the remote?" asked Dawn.

"Oh, it's here." said Michelle.

She tossed the remote over from the kitchen table. Dawn caught it and smiled.

"Nice catch." praised Michelle.

"Thanks." said Dawn as she switched on the TV to watch her favourite pokemon shows.

A female milotic was performing in an underwater show. Dawn watched in awe as the graceful pokemon swam swiftly in a spiralling motion and formed a whirlpool.

"You like watching those huh?" asked Michelle.

"Yeah." mumbled Dawn.

Next up, was a trainer and his gyarados. The scary pokemon fired a several twisters into the pool. After that, it made a substitute and broke it with ice fang.

Dawn cocked her head in confusion.

"What the hell of a performance was that?" she asked in disgust.

A trainer with her empoleon came up next. The empoleon started off with an aqua jet as it circled around the pool, leaving water trails behind it. Next, it used hydro pump at the pool below it to blast it up into the air. When it was at ceiling-height, the used bubble beam and drill peck at the same time. The empoleon came spinning down from the ceiling with a beautiful tornado of bubbles.

Dawn's eyes trailed to her hands.

"If only piplup could be as awesome as that..." muttered Dawn.

"He will be one day." said Michelle.

"No, he swallowed an everstone." said Dawn sadly.

"Oh..."

Turning her attention back to the TV, Dawn saw a golduck appear on stage. It dived in the pool and used confusion to morph the water into different shapes. It used ice beam to freeze the water, forming beautiful ice sculptures. The trainer commanded the golduck to use zen headbutt. The pokemon obeyed and smashed all of the statues with ease. The ice shards glittered stunningly in the sunshine.

"Wow, weird pokemon but it sure knows how to perform." said Dawn in surprise.

A trainer and his samurott took the stage. The samurott used ice beam to freeze the entire pool. Jumping into the air, it crashed down on the ice using mega-horn. The ice shattered under the impact and the audience gazed in astonishment.

"That pokemon must be very well trained to break the ice so easily." commented Michelle.

Dawn nodded in agreement.  
The ice was broken again as the samurott used aqua jet from under the water. It leaped into the air leaving trails of sparkling water behind it.

"That really was something." admired Dawn.

Next up, a little girl with a luvdisc took the stage.

"Aw, how cute." crooned Dawn.

"Luna, use safeguard!" yelled the girl.

The luvdisc obeyed immediately and dived underwater. It used the safeguard and beautiful rainbow rays filtered from the water.

"Use bubble!" shouted the girl.

The luvdisc fired a jet of sparkling bubbles up into the air.

"Now use attract!" yelled the girl.

The luvdisc sprang out of the water and popped all of the bubbles leaving a pink trail of glitter behind it. All of the male pokemon watching the show became deeply infatuated.

"What a cute performance!" cheered Dawn.

The show was over and the judge announced the results.

"In third place, we have... Elena and her milotic Katy!" announced the judge.

The crowd roared and cheered.

"In second place, we have Lucy and her luvdisc Luna!"

The crowd cheered and clapped loudly.

"And in first place, we have... Megan and her empoleon Nina!" shouted the judge.

The crowd roared and cheered at a deafening volume.

Dawn smiled happily. It was nice to know that an evolution of piplup had won first place.  
As the prizes were awarded, Dawn switched off the TV and walked upstairs to her room.

"Make sure you come down for lunch!" called Michelle.

"I will." said Dawn.

When she was in the safety of her own room, she grabbed her laptop and headed into her secret library.

Sitting on the armchair, she logged into facebook and chatted with Amy.

'hey amy'

'wat up?'

'can we talk?'

'sure, wat is it?'

'its gary...'

'wat did he do?'

'he acted very strange'

'like how?'

'he got fed up with me and hit me'

'really!?'

'yeah'

'omg, i am SO gonna whoop his ass wen we get 2 school on Monday!'

'do wat u like. he doesn't matter 2 me anymore...'

'oh wow, already...'

'stop teasing me.'

'okay okay! srry!'

'so, i guess dats all i wanted 2 tell u.'

'sure, ill tell mist, okay?'

'yeah, alright.'

'kool, c ya!'

'bye.'

Dawn sighed and sat back. She didn't feel very good at the moment. She felt like she was backstabbing Gary. But she wasn't saying anything mean about him or anything. Why did she feel like this all of a sudden?  
She received a message and she read it. The message was from Paul.

'so dawn, i hear u brake up with gary. that tru rite?'

Dawn sighed in frustration.

'do u think?'

'hey, i only wanna no wat happen!'

'cool, i broke up with him alright? happy now?'

'thnx, i shuld go tell sum others. u ok with dat?'

'yeah whatever, doesn't matter who u tell. nothing realy matter 2 me anymore.'

'dont be so hard on urself. just accept dis as a lesson and u can learn from ur mistake. bye'

'thnx 4 da advice, bye.'

Dawn sighed and continued to stare ominously at the laptop screen.  
A message alert popped up again. This time, the message was from Gary. Surprise struck Dawn as she tried to decide what to do. Should she read the message or ignore it?  
She hesitated before reading it.

'are u going 2 apologize 2 me? or ar u just gonna stand there like a fool?'

'excuse me, but do u have any idea how much pain and frustration u've caused me?'

'yes, but u were da one who started it.'

'so? do u expect an apology?'

'yeah, dats da hole reason why i messaged u.'

'so it wasn't becuz u liked me?'

'it depends...'

'gary, u make no sense.'

'neither do u.'

'shut up u retard!'

'dawn, anger takes u nowhere.'

'but dweling on things takes u nowhere eiter.'

'i wasn't delling.'

'so?'

'dawn, stop confusing urself.'

'gary, shut the f**k up!'

'why? too scard to rite da real words?'

'stop tryin to taunt me. it not working.'

'realy?'

'yeah, so FUCK OFF!'

'u can do dat urself.'

'how dare u! im not talking 2 u anymore!'

'u lost. big deal.'

'shut it! right now!'

'dawn, u always start da arguments...'

'and u carry on!'

'wat do u expect?'

'gary, i expect u to walk away.'

'u not my parents. so get u ugly face out of my brain.'

'argh! I HATE YOU!"

Dawn logged off her account immediately after she sent the message.

"I've had it with the stupid arsehole! Who cares about him!" she growled furiously.

Climbing up the stairs with the laptop tucked under one arm, she made it back to her room and pushed the closet back into place. Her anger powered her and made the closet slide into place as swift as an arrow. Placing the laptop on her desk, she lay on her bed in a dizzy state. Things were happening, yes. But also, the things that were happening made her feel more dreadful. She hated Gary. But she also hated herself for what she had done. Dawn felt guilty for some reason. Was this thing her fault or was it Gary's?

"Grr! This is so frustrating!" she growled.

Paul seemed awfully nice when she chatted with him on facebook, which was weird because he was supposed to be rude and mean. Well, at least she knew him as rude and mean.

"This is all so confusing." mused Dawn.

What she needed right now was a nice relaxing shower or bath.

Heading towards the bathroom, she locked the door and let the stress drain away from her body.

"I feel so much more refreshed!" she exclaimed.

Lying down on her bed, she flicked off the light and went into a restless sleep full of tossing and turning. Bad dream after bad dream came like a large number of movies put together into one big film, flashing by at speeds that were barely visible. The night was warm which added to the stress as she writhed and wormed around on her bed restlessly. Sleep never seemed to come completely it was like it was stuck between two things and couldn't find a way to get the one it preferred. As Dawn suffered the worst of the hot summer night, all that was on her mind was the recent events that had put her in this very situation, a situation of heartbreaking horror.

-The End-


	16. Chapter 16

Sunset High

Chapter 16

Dawn woke up and checked the time on her clock. It was nine o'clock. She blinked wearily and sat up. Last night's events flashed by rather quickly and left her stunned.

Feeling bored, she decided to go back onto facebook.  
No new messages were posted last night so she started up a chat with Amy.

'hi amy, how r u today?'

'good thnx.'

'okay'

'wat wrong?'

'nothing, just bord...'

'haha, nothing 2 do on a Sunday morning?'

'yeah, i guess...'

'me and mist are gonna go 2 the theme park 2day!'

'really? wow!'

'were going at midday.'

'thats great! I hope u have a nice time! :)'

'thanks!'

'ur welcome'

'well, i guess we shuld be getting reddy 2 leave now. bye!'

'bye, and hav a great time! :)'

'u too! bye'

Dawn smiled happily. It was nice to know that her friends were having a fun day. Though, her day was yet to get worse as a message notification appeared. Dawn clicked on the message to read. It was from Gary.

'hey dawn...'

'go away. and get out of my life!'

Dawn was about to log out but a notification alarmed her that Gary wanted to video chat.  
She hesitated before clicking 'yes'.

"What do you want?" she asked tiredly.

"I just wanted to-"

"NO! I won't allow it. No apologies accepted okay? You've gone too far already." said Dawn sternly.

"No, it's not that..." said Gary quietly.

Dawn sat and looked at him quizzically. What on earth was he talking about?

Gary couldn't bring himself to say anything to her. He couldn't meet her angry glare.

"Uh, Gary! Talk!" she said.

He managed to catch a glimpse of her before turning away.

"What's wrong? Did something happen to your ugly face?" she sneered.

She could see his fists clench at her words and she felt a bit scared. Though, she didn't let her gaze falter.

"Well?" she asked loudly.

Gary was lost for words. If he fired out all of the rude words in his head at the moment, they'd probably flip Dawn off her chair and out the window. He kept his mouth shut and tried to contain his thoughts as other bad thoughts encouraged him to shoot out all of the rude comments he restrained himself from saying.

"Speak up you piece of crap!" yelled Dawn angrily. "Did the cat get your tongue?"

"SHUT UP!" shouted Gary furiously. "SHUT THE HELL UP NOW!"

Dawn blinked and growled deep inside.

"You messed with the wrong girl." she said darkly.

"Try to fight me. You don't stand a chance." growled Gary.

"I don't think so." hissed Dawn. "I've seen your fighting style, I know all of your weaknesses."

"All of them? I think not." scoffed Gary.

Dawn clenched her fists and glared at him with all the hatred in the world. Everything that had happened to her, all of the things that tore at her heart like a hungry wolf. Everything clashed and built up a new heart. A heart filled with nothing but hate.

"Look at you. It looks like your face got run over by a steamroller!" hissed Gary.

"WHAAAAAAT!" screeched Dawn.

She screamed at him and cancelled the communication. Logging off, she slammed the laptop closed and stormed out of her room.

"What's going on Dawn?" asked Michelle in shock.

"Get outta my way!" growled Dawn as she pushed past.

She opened the front door and ran out.

"Dawn, come back!" called Michelle.

Dawn ignored her and continued running. She didn't really know where she was heading but all that mattered was that she had to get as far away from home as possible. Her sides ached as she continued to run. With no idea where she was going, she charged on breathlessly. She barely had any control over herself at the moment. It was like she was running on battery power.  
Finally, she had to stop for breath. She breathed heavily and sat down right where she was standing. Looking around, she realised she was outside Gary's house.  
Had her anger led her to his house so she could show him her hatred? Yes, of course. Why else would she randomly run to his house without stopping once?

She tried to open the gate but it was firmly shut and locked.

"Excuse me miss, can I help you?" asked a familiar-looking person.

"Hi, I'm just here to see Gary." said Dawn sweetly.

"He's not home." said the butler.

"Where is he?"

"He went up to the lookout."

"Where is it?" asked Dawn desperately.

"Over there." he said as he pointed at a distant wooden platform.

She could barely see it from here.

"That's very far." mused Dawn.

"It sure is. But if you want, I could drive you there." offered the butler.

"Thanks, you're too kind." said Dawn.

To be true, the butler was extremely kind. As she sat in the car, she was driven down the street and onto a different path. As they made their way up, the butler parked on the side of the street.

"This is the furthest you can go by car." he said as he pointed a sign that said no cars were allowed past this point.

Dawn nodded. "Okay."

"Just walk up there and you'll be there in about five minutes." he said.

"Thank you." said Dawn.

"And here," he said as he handed her a five dollar bank note. "Just catch the bus home."

"Thanks, bye."

Dawn got out of the car and watched as the car did a u-turn and drove off down the road.  
Turning back to the path, she began to head up and soon, she came across a sign.

The lookout was to the right and the rock tunnels were on the left. Taking the path on the right, she headed up some stairs and found herself on the lookout. Gary was a few metres away, looking out to sea.  
She crouched down behind a bush and spied on him.  
He seemed very calm as he leaned over the rail and stared at the scenery.

Dawn slowly got up and crept up behind him.

"I know you're there." he said.

Dawn jumped in surprise and almost lost balance.

She stood up and growled at him angrily.

"Why did you come here?" he asked in a faraway tone.

"I think you need to say an apology." said Dawn sternly.

"First you say no apologies, and now you want one!" said Gary in frustration. "What the hell do you want!?"

"First, you hurt me!" said Dawn angrily. "And then, you said that my face was run over!"

"Think about what you've said too."

"And you've done an equal amount!" growled Dawn.

"You think you're so tough, don't you?"

Dawn clenched her fists and screamed at the top of her lungs. She grabbed Gary violently and tried to punch him.  
He easily blocked her attacks and gave a hard shove. Dawn fell back and landed on her butt. She growled angrily and sprung back to her feet. She was just about to attack again but a voice from behind stopped her. Turning around, she saw Paul making his way up the stairs.

"Look what we have here..." he said.

"Paul, go away. This doesn't involve you." hissed Dawn.

"Actually, I am involved in this very much." said Paul.

"What do you mean?" asked Dawn.

"You're too stupid to figure it out. But he already knows why I'm involved in this." he pointed at Gary.

Gary clenched his fists and glared at him angrily.

"If you tell her anything, I'll beat the shit out of you!" snarled Paul.

Gary continued to glare coldly at Paul with an unwavering confidence.

"Gary, what is all of this?" asked Dawn. "What have you two been up to?"

Gary hesitated as he looked from Dawn to Paul.  
A threatening glare from Paul made his decision.

"You won't tell me?" asked Dawn in disbelief.

Gary shook his head and started to walk away.

"You're not going anywhere!" yelled Paul as he raced towards him and tackled him to the floor.

Gary struggled to his feet and backed away.

"We're not finished here." said Paul.

"Gary, what is all of this? What does it have to do with Paul?" asked Dawn quietly.

"Just shut up." he growled.

Dawn glared at him angrily but didn't make her move.  
This was like a mad chess game. You can't run and it seemed like they were taking turns to attack or move.

When Paul turned away for a while, Gary whispered to Dawn.

"He threatened me to-"

"SHUT UP!" shouted Paul furiously. "I SAID NO TALKING! NOT A WORD UNLESS I TELL YOU TO!"

Gary flinched and stood back as Paul walked towards him with a menacing glare.

"What did you tell her?" he hissed.

"Nothing." said Gary.

"WRONG!" he snarled.

He punched Gary in the gut and pushed him to the floor.

"Paul, stop this." said Dawn.

Paul continued to kick at Gary several times.  
Gary lay on the floor helplessly and writhed in pain. The least he could do was curl up into a little ball.

Dawn couldn't bear to see him getting hurt. It was like a natural instinct. She just couldn't see him getting hurt like this. It hurt to look so she turned away. This could be her chance to escape. Yes, of course.

"This is why I told you to kill her!" snarled Paul as he hit Gary harder.

Dawn paused on the spot and whipped around.

"Kill me?" she asked in shock.

"Of course, he was supposed to kill you a whole week ago. But he hasn't done it yet so this is what he gets. Every day he avoids killing you. So for ever day, he gets a good beating."

Dawn started to back away. Was Gary planning to kill her all this time? Images flashed past her brain so quickly that each picture was a new horror and shook her to the core.

She wanted to run. She had to run and stay away from Gary. But then again, he'd have to face a daily beating. The fact that he could get seriously injured stung at her heart. And even if he was seriously injured, Paul would still beat him.

She wanted to help. But what chance did she have against Paul? Even Gary would be against her. He was being threatened to kill her. So to avoid pain, he had to kill her. If she stopped Paul, would that just give Gary a chance to kill her?

She made her decision and fled down the stairs.

"That's right! Run like a little bitch!" spat Paul as he continued to attack Gary.

Dawn ran and ran until she found the nearest bus stop. She waited impatiently for it to arrive. Gary could be on her tail right now. She hoped Paul had kept him busy for a while longer.

The bus arrived and she jumped in. Paying her fare, she pocketed the change and took a seat. The bus was pretty much empty besides a group of five tourists.

Soon, she was nearing her house and the bus stopped for her to get off.

Dawn leapt over the fence and unlocked the front door with her key.

"Where were you?" asked Michelle worriedly.

"I was um, just having some space." said Dawn.

Michelle nodded and pointed at the plate of food on the dinner table.

"Thank you." said Dawn as she carried the plate upstairs to her room.

She sat at her desk and turned on her laptop. Michelle came up to give her a glass of water.  
When the room was empty, Dawn logged onto facebook and reported her news to Amy.

'hey amy, just a quick report and i'm off alright?'

'sure, fill me in.'

'this morning, i had a disagreement with gary on vid chat and i ended up leaving the house and running 2 his house were i went 2 the lookout 2 talk with him. i ended up trying to fight him but he pushed me over. paul came and started to fight gary. he said that he threatened gary to kill me. he told gary last week and he hasn't done anything yet. so 4 everyday gary skips, he gets a severe beating from paul. i was kinda shocked that gary wanted to kill me so i ran.'

'i don't think gary actually wants 2 kill u.'

'...'

'dawn?'

'yeah?'

'nothing, im going off now.'

'okay, see u at skool dawn.'

'yeah, ok. bye amy.'

She sat back in her chair and breathed in deeply. Tomorrow, she'd have to stay well away from Gary and hope that everything goes alright. If she stuck close to her friends, she'd probably be safe. Her friends would back her up, wouldn't they?

She spent the evening passing around news to her friends and warned them not to tell Gary. News quickly spread and by the time it was dinnertime, she had a small group of supporters. Many school friends had offered to back her up if anything bad happened.

After dinner, she spent the last few hours planning on who she would hang out with. She had Amy, Misty and three other girls with her. If things were worse, there were four boys who could help.

Dawn smiled to herself and felt a lot safer now that she had a group of twenty friends in total who were helping her. Though, she missed May, Iris and Caroline by her side. Those three were her best friends. But she'd have to settle for Amy and Misty at the moment. They weren't too bad, but they don't approve of her relationship with Gary.

Sighing, she climbed into bed and slept peacefully. For once, all was at ease. But what happens tomorrow will set the mood for the next few weeks.

-The End-


	17. Chapter 17

Sunset High

Chapter 17

Dawn opened the classroom door and sat at her desk. She was a bit stupid for coming to school so early in the morning. The classroom looked a bit better than when she'd trashed the place. Apparently, the principle thought that gangsters had invaded the school. Dawn laughed at their dumb guess of the suspect.

The door of the class opened and Gary walked in. Dawn paused before shuffling off her chair.

Not a word came from her mouth, she didn't dare speak. She slowly edged her way around him and exited the class. She had to find some friends before Gary caught up with her.  
She breathed in sharply as the door creaked open. Dawn saw Gary exiting the class and she dashed down the corridor and tried to reach the girl's bathroom. She could hear Gary running after her. He could run light-years faster than her.

She screamed as he grabbed her. She was turned around to face him.  
This was it. The end had come. All she loved would vanish from her mind and leave her in an empty state.

"Let me go!" shrieked Dawn. "Let me go you freak!"

To her surprise, Gary released her. Without a glance, he turned back in the direction of the classroom.

"Wait, Gary!" called Dawn.

He ignored her and entered the class.

Dawn sat down on the floor and stared at the ground. What had she done?

From around the corner, Melody sniggered and grinned evilly.

"How sweet, Paul's plan combined with mine perfectly!"

She stepped around the corner and strutted up to Dawn casually.

"Hi Dawn, what's up?" she asked.

"Nothing." growled Dawn.

"Fine, you can keep it to yourself." mumbled Melody as she walked past.

She headed into Gary's class and leaned over his desk.

"Hi Gary, what's up?" she asked sweetly.

No reply came so she started to go to plan B.  
Before she could say anything, Gary spoke.

"It's your fault you know." said Gary quietly.

"Why is it my fault?" asked Melody.

"If you stayed out of this situation, I would never have had to feel so much pain." whispered Gary. His voice was barely audible.

Melody met his gaze and her heart softened.

"I'm sorry. I was just so absorbed into my plan of getting you. And I forgot about the risks that would come your way..." she trailed off and tears rushed down her face.

Gary sighed in exasperation.

"I'm sorry!" she cried.

"No, Melody. You don't need to be." said Gary.

Melody looked up in surprise. "What?"

"I should be the one who's sorry."

"You haven't done anything wrong."

"Actually, I've done many things that are wrong." said Gary quietly. "In the past..."

Melody gazed at him sadly. "Yes, I remember."

She stared at her arm where a lump poked up. It was a bone that was misplaced.

"The doctor couldn't fix it..." she whispered.

Gary placed his hand on her arm gently. "I know."

Melody's eyes watered and she wiped them away.

"I wish things were back to normal." she whispered. "But now you're with-"

"They already are." smiled Gary.

"Really?" Melody gazed at him hopefully.

"If you'd like to."

Melody beamed at him and began to think deeply. All of the recent events flashed through her mind. Did she really deserve him? After all, Dawn was the first one to get along with him. She had kept her crush a secret ever since she was little.

"Gary, I don't think I deserve to have you." started Melody. "After all the things I've done, I think I should-"

Gary shook his head. He looked at her in an understanding way.

"The past is the past. It's already gone. But now, what do we have to lose?" asked Gary.

Melody smiled brightly and looked into his shining eyes.  
What did she have to lose anyway? Dawn can go fuck herself. Gary was already under her possession all this time. She just never spoke up. Doesn't mean Gary belonged to Dawn.

"I guess you're right!" she said excitedly.

The door banged open and Dawn marched furiously inside.

"Gary, why are you betraying me? You are choosing that bitch over me!?" she screeched.

A whole army of girls stormed into the room and shouted in approval. They assembled at the far end of the class.

"Well, it's twenty against two. You may as well give up Melody!" hissed Dawn.

"Quantity has no value." said Gary.

"What rubbish are you talking about?" asked Dawn sharply.

"You are just too empty-minded to make any sense of what I'm saying." said Gary.

"It's what's inside that counts!" supported Melody.

Gary smiled at her gratefully and she returned the favour.

In moments, a whole squadron of girls and boys charged into the room. They shouted in triumph.

"I thought you said quantity has no value!" yelled Amy.

"Yes, but it does have a value when all of the things have a value inside." said Gary.

"What?" asked Dawn in confusion.

"Are you saying we're nothing!?" asked Misty angrily.

"No, I'm saying that you have a large quantity of people, but are those people truly your friends or are they just people you know?" asked Gary.

"Well, most of them are just people we know..." said Misty quietly.

Dawn elbowed her angrily.

"What about all of them!?" she asked. "They are just people you know!"

"More than that," said Melody. "Best friends. All of them."

A look of uncertainty crossed Dawn's face for a split-second but it quickly vanished just as it appeared.

"How about, let's quit the chatter?" asked Dawn. "And cut to the real battle?"

"If you insist." said Melody.

Dawn did a battle cry and her supporters yelled her name in approval.

"Good luck." whispered Gary.

Melody smiled at him and walked into the centre of the class. The desks were moved to form an enclosed battle field. With supporters on either side, she felt like she was at a cheerleading tournament. She could feel Gary's beaming gaze on her as she eyed Dawn warily. She had to take this seriously or else things could go bad. Dawn was powered by rage and she was powered by love. Which side would win? It's love versus hate in an all out battle over one boy. It sounded a bit stupid but if Dawn wanted a fight, she'll get one, and one that she will remember.

Amy sat on one of the desks and stated that she would be the referee for the match. She even had a whistle that she swiped off the teacher's desk.

"When you get knocked out, you lose!" she called. "No rules to fighting style."

Both sides cheered loudly as Melody and Dawn got pumped.

"After you are knocked out, bring in your next fighter!" shouted Amy. "The winning side is the one that has the most wins by the end of round three!"

Both sides nodded in agreement.

"Then let the battle begin!" Amy shouted. "Three, two, one, GO!"

The whistle blew and Melody and Dawn engaged into battle.

Powered by anger and hatred, Dawn didn't have time for aiming. She recklessly charged around the little arena and crashed into desks.

Melody laughed as she ran around in circles away from the charging Dawn.  
Dawn stopped and roared in rage.

"STOP RUNNING!" she yelled.

"You'll just have to catch me first!" said Melody playfully. "Or you can forfeit the match!"

Dawn shouted a barrage of swear words angrily.

Everyone laughed at her, even her supporting team.

She screamed furiously and tried to attack Melody. She was a bit distracted in her laughing so she managed to punch her in the shoulder. It was a pathetic hit but she still hit her.

Melody angrily punched her back twice as hard in the face. Dawn stumbled back dizzily and leaned on a desk.

Her team tried their best to support her through their laughter.

She felt stupid and angry. It felt like everyone was against her. She felt unwanted and abandoned.

The door opened and Paul walked in. He leaned on the wall and watched. He flashed a sly smile at Dawn. She glared at him angrily.

Not looking at what was coming next, she was punched in the stomach and then punched in the face again.

She could hear Paul explode into laughter. Why did he hate her so much? What did she ever do to him?

Melody attacked her again, this time the pain was more intense. She collapsed to the floor in vain. She could hear Paul laughing at her, laughing because she was being an idiot. She wasn't fighting, she was failing. But the word fail had never existed in her mind before. It never existed in her mind. She couldn't lose, she just couldn't. Somehow, she was going to win. She was sure about it. She had to prove she was worth it. But why waste her energy fighting Paul when she should be fighting Paul?

Suddenly, a whole new path opened in her mind as a whole film of answers filled her mind. Gary said that quantity has no value. He meant that no matter how many supporters she had, they wouldn't be any help. And he was right, all they were doing was laughing at her.  
And when Melody said that it was what's inside a person that counts, she meant the personality in a person makes up their response to things. Obviously, her response was anger. At the time, she had completely lost herself in rage.

Those two were trying to tell her something. Yet again, she didn't make any sense of it. Just like Melody's friend. Her anger had made her head blank. She was nothing. Anger and hatred had changed her altogether. The hunger for revenge was killing her all this time, eating away at her soul until no emotion was left. She was nothing, just an empty body.

She could hear Paul sniggering at her. All of a sudden, her fists clenched and she screamed in rage.

"EVERYONE GET OUT!" she roared. "THIS IS ONLY BETWEEN ME, GARY, MELODY AND PAUL!"

She had things to settle.  
Paul had hated her ever since primary because she almost drowned him in the school pool. He was only just alive. If he was under the water for a second longer, his life would of been over at the age of seven.

Everyone piled out of the room and left it strangely silent.  
The four of them eyed each other warily.

"Paul, let's have a fight to settle this." said Dawn.

She locked the door so no one could come in and intrude.

"Right, let's get this over and done with." hissed Paul.

"You'll be dead before the sun sets." growled Dawn.

"Brave words." said Paul. "But I'm afraid words are not enough!"

Paul lunged at Dawn menacingly and knocked her easily to the floor. Dawn sprung to her feet in an instant and punched him in the face.

Gary and Melody could do nothing but watch helplessly. This was a battle between Dawn and Paul. They were not to interrupt.

"With your pathetic weakness, you'll die before you even get any good hits in." Paul smirked.

Dawn thrust forward her best blows and combinations but they weren't having much effect on Paul. He seemed to just take the hits like they were blows from a toddler. She looked weak. No, she was not weak. She was strong. She had to be strong.

"I AM NOT WEAK!" Dawn screamed.

She sprung forward with the grace of a wild cat and punched hysterically. It seemed to have taken some effect on Paul. He angrily grabbed her and gave a direct hit in the stomach. She flew several metres across the room and landed heavily on a desk. It toppled over and she crashed down with it.

"You're so pathetic!" spat Paul.

The words stung her intensely and made her lose hope in herself.  
She couldn't give up yet. She had to go on! She had to! All she ever loved and hoped for would melt away. She couldn't give up on herself. Not yet. Not without a fight.

Picking herself up, she stumbled to her feet and faced Paul with a cold icy glare. He seemed unfazed but in his eyes, there was a slight flicker of uncertainty.

"Bring it!" challenged Paul.

"Why wouldn't I!?" Dawn spat.

In her harsh voice, she added all of the bad things that had happened in her life. All the hate was transferred into her voice and forced out to make it extremely intimidating.

Paul flinched slightly but he shook his head and stared at her with blazing eyes. She knew he was angry at her. The intense fire in his eyes seemed to melt her hopes.

"You'll never win!" hissed Paul.

"I won't let you win!" growled Dawn.

"Then now's the time to call it quits!" snarled Paul as he leaped at her at a blinding speed.

She was forced back against the wall where he started to strangle her.

"Time to say good night." hissed Paul menacingly.

As thoughts spun around in her head, she tried to put everything together but her brain was muddled. Panic had taken over. She couldn't place anything, couldn't think straight. All that was on her mind was, 'I'm gonna die! I'm gonnna die! I'm gonna die!'

"Do I remember a time when it felt like I was just on the brink of death?" asked Paul. "Did I feel like the world was going to end? Did thoughts swim through my mind and I can't control myself? Was panic taking over of my mind and leaving me to die?"

Dawn's eyes spun as she tried to take it all in. He was speaking her horrors to her just like that.

"You are a murderer, but you never knew." Paul whispered coldly.

His breath left her ear in a frozen state.  
She couldn't last any longer, she was as good as dead now. She wished she could at least get one gasp of fresh air before she did. Just that one breath could save her life...  
...But no...  
She had already had her chance. Her last chance to live was gone. She had had all of her chances. No more were left to spare and she was going to die.  
She felt her legs buckle and she knew the end had come. She'd miss this world, but it was time to go somewhere else...

"No Dawn!" cried Gary.

Paul thrust the limp body onto the floor and spat ferociously.

"You're a pathetic atom compared to me!" he snarled.

He kicked the body several times and cackled in victory.

"See that!? You lost! I BEAT you!" he spat. "You piece of shit!"

Gary stared intensely at Paul. His eyes bored a hole in Paul's back.

Melody put a comforting hand on Gary's shoulder.

Paul turned around and laughed.

"Try to run! You'll never make it out of here alive!" he cackled.

"Gary, help." whined Melody.

"Yes, you'll need all the help you can get," hissed Paul. "Especially since you used me!"

"You knew!?" gasped Melody.

Paul smiled evilly. "It's time to do the final standoff!"

Gary pushed Melody back. "Let me handle this."

"No!" protested Melody.

Paul smirked. "Two against one, if you'd like."

Melody nodded. "It's on!"

Gary smiled at Melody and she smiled back.

"Ready?" asked Gary softly.

"Whenever you are." smiled Melody.

They nodded and engaged battle.

Paul scowled as he pushed back Melody and punched Gary in the stomach.

"Pathetic."

Gary felt hurt by the fierce word but he brushed it aside. The flame in his heart burned brightly, mixed with love for Melody and grief for Dawn. They were fed by the pangs of pain from the death of Dawn and flickered uncertainly from the physical pain.  
He couldn't let Melody and Dawn down, he had to fight.

"Keep on fighting. No matter what, just keep on fighting." he whispered to himself.

He dodged a well-aimed strike from Paul and kneed him in the stomach. Paul was immediately attacked by Melody from behind. He angrily elbowed her in the chest and punched Gary in the face.  
Gary threw Paul into a desk and ran to help up Melody.

"You okay?" he asked worriedly.

Melody nodded and picked herself up.

"Behind you!" she cried.

Gary turned around and was swept off his feet by a desk. He crashed to the floor and clutched his side in pain. He gritted his teeth and watched Melody block the attacks from Paul. She was struggling, he could tell.  
He got back on his feet and gave Paul a good punch in the stomach and then a bone-breaking uppercut.

Paul fell onto the floor and clasped his neck in agony. It was probably broken by the looks of it.

"Game's up." said Gary as he wiped blood from his mouth.

Melody joined him and stood before the defenceless Paul.

"Time to give up." she said.

"I don't think so." Paul smirked.

The door burst open as three boys ran into the room. They were followed by several more. There were at least ten in total.

"Meet my gang of bodyguards, they do their job and forget the small talk." said Paul proudly.

Paul was carried to the side of the room by two boys and guarded safely.

That was two gone so there were eight left to fight.

Gary winced as pain stabbed at him. Melody softly put a hand on his wounded area.

"It's okay." she whispered. "Be strong."

Her voice and touch seemed to heal all of Gary's pains as he felt refreshed.

Turning towards the eight boys, adrenaline rushed through his body as he battled them. Powered by new hope, he easily finished them. They were sent scurrying out of the room and yelping in pain.

Teachers came in but the so called 'bodyguards' kicked them out. The door was firmly locked and barricaded before any more came in.

"Andrew, go get him." said Paul sharply.

One of the boys walked towards Gary and Melody at a slow but scary pace.

"What do we do Gary?" asked Melody in a low whisper.

"You can hang back while I handle this." said Gary grimly.

Melody nodded, though she did not agree with him. If he needed help, she would be there.

"Go on, thrash him!" yelled Paul.

Andrew did an amazing cartwheel towards Gary and kicked him in the chest. Gary choked and fell onto the floor.

"You see, my two guards are specially trained." said Paul slyly.

Gary gasped as he found it hard to breathe after the impact.  
He was picked up by the collar of his shirt and Andrew's arm went around his neck.

"The finishing move, a bone-breaker really." said Paul. "Let the professional kill you."

Melody screamed and rammed into the boy. His sturdy body was built for the hit and Melody was sent sprawling back to the floor. She got back up and angrily shoved Andrew.  
He wasn't expecting anything and he lost his balance which released his grip from Gary.

Melody gazed worriedly at Gary.

"The other guard is healing Paul." she said.

Gary looked across the room where the other boy was applying ointment to Paul's neck.

"It's just a pulled muscle." murmured the boy. "This ointment should numb the pain, then you'll be ready for some more fighting."

Paul nodded as he glared coldly at Gary.

He looked away and faced Andrew. He was punched in the stomach and flew across the room where he banged his head on a desk. He began to lose consciousness but he didn't let himself slip. Not yet.

"Gary, are you okay!?" cried Melody.

Gary shook his head but it only made his head hurt more. Andrew advanced on him but Melody wouldn't let him pass. He picked her up like a fruit and threw her across the classroom. She collided into a shelf and the objects fell on top of her.

He was picked up and thrown across the room. His head hit the floor and he screamed in agony. As he clutched his head painfully, it pounded mercilessly. He was bruised and bloodied, not much energy was left to spare. How could he beat this boy? He wasn't much older than Melody, yet he was so powerful and sturdy.

Andrew clamped his hand onto Gary's head and lifted him single-handed. Was he really that light? Or was Andrew really strong?  
Gary screamed inside his head to punch Andrew but that would make him angry and go rage on him. He didn't want more pain than he already felt. Just before he thought that his head would pop under the pressure that was around his head, Andrew was swept off his feet and landed face-down on the floor. Gary dropped to the floor and groaned in pain.

A hand was presented before him in a friendly gesture. He took it and was pulled to his feet. His eyes met with the beautiful ocean-blue eyes of the one person he felt most for in his life. Dawn. She was alive!

"I-I thought you were-"

"Shhh... No need for words." she whispered.

Gary nodded as he gazed into her eyes. He wished he never acted so stupid. That was the whole reason why she didn't feel for him anymore.

Dawn screamed as she was lifted up into the air, Andrew held her above his head and was ready to bring her down against his knee to snap her spine.

Gary choked back tears and charged forward. Andrew dropped Dawn as he too, charged forward. The collision between him and Andrew was horrendous. He screamed as severe pain jolted through his body and rattled his bones until they almost fell apart. As he fell back onto the floor, he felt like a bomb had exploded inside of him. His head felt like it was ripped to shreds. Sharp cold pain stabbed at him like a scythe. He lost control of himself as darkness engulfed him. His arms went limp and he welcomed the foggy mist.

Dawn gaped as the two boys fell back in pain. Even Andrew was in dreadful pain.

"GARY!" she screamed as she ran towards him.

Collapsing before him, she cried in despair. His body was limp. He had lost consciousness altogether.

Melody was at his side too, she was crying for him. She feared what would happen if he never woke.

"NO!" Melody shrieked. "GARY!"

"GARY!" cried Dawn. "Please be okay!"

Paul scowled as he disapproved of all the attention that Gary was getting. Though, he couldn't help feeling a pang of sorrow.

"Master Shinji, is everything well?" asked his aid.

"Yes Harris, I'm fine." he said softly.

Andrew came up to Paul and inspected him. "Are you ready to finish him?"

"Yes, Andrew." said Paul. "You did well."

"Thank you Master Shinji." he said gratefully.

Paul stalked up to the three and pushed the two girls aside. They stubbornly returned and stood before him and Gary.

"Well, are you willing to part for me?" asked Paul.

"Never!" spat Dawn.

"After what you've done, don't you think it's time to stop?" hissed Melody.

Dawn wished she had the sharp intimidating voice that Melody had, it was quite scary.

Paul shrugged to hide his uncertainty. He was feeling uneasy about this, he knew the girls wouldn't move without a fight. Maybe they'd weaken him before he fought Gary.

"Andrew! Harris! Take care of these two brats!" snarled Paul. "Shut them down for good!"

Paul stepped back as the two guards made their way towards them.  
The two girls were picked up and banged together. They were tossed across the room and crashed into desks along the way. The wall stopped their wild flight through the air.

Paul picked up the unconscious Gary and cackled with an evil smile.

"Game over!" he spat.

Dawn and Melody charged and knocked Paul off his feet. They were immediately grabbed and thrown against the wall. Dawn cried in pain as she was thrown across the room and into a book shelf. The heavy books pelted on her back with intense force.

Melody was tossed into the window. As she fell, it shattered into pieces and thousands of glass shards rained down on her.

Dawn couldn't give up yet, she had to be strong. But it was so hard. How could she go on?  
She looked across at Melody and the glances they exchanged meant they were thinking of the same thing. It was a fight to the death.

They breathlessly rose to their feet and ran to attack. They bowled over Andrew and Harris in their path. Advancing on Paul, they smashed him across the room and into the wall. Andrew and Harris were up again. They grasped the two girls firmly and slammed them into the opposite wall. Dawn and Melody crumpled to the ground.

Dawn gasped in pain as she tried to get back up. She had to stop Paul, she had to! She looked Melody in the eye and saw the same determination.

Melody pounced to her feet and charged at the two guards. She ducked low and attacked their legs. They fell onto their backs and remained stunned.

Dawn took the opportunity to attack Paul. She swung her fist into his face with all the strength she had left. Collapsing to the floor in exhaustion, she gazed across at Gary's still body. Was he even alive? Was she just risking her life for someone who was already dead? She shook her head angrily. How could she think like that?

"You stupid brat, why can't you die!" snarled Paul.

Dawn was picked up by Paul and punched in the face.

"I've had enough of you!" he hissed.

Andrew and Harris were busy dealing with Melody.

"You two!" shouted Paul. "Stop throwing them around and get brutal!"

They nodded and started to punch.

Dawn was kicked in the stomach and she fell to the floor. There wasn't much energy left to spare. She wished it was like one of those games when you had unlimited stamina and just kept throwing countless attacks. But life was not a video-game. This was real.

She sprung to her feet and punched Paul in the face again. She picked up a chair and used it to block his attacks. Plus, hurt his fists.

"STOP BEING A PUSSY!" snarled Paul.

Dawn continued to block and strike successfully until she was grabbed by Harris. She was punched several times. Crying in pain, she saw the same look in Melody's red-rimmed eyes.

They were getting killed. They couldn't win, it just wasn't fair. They had lost from the very beginning. All along, Paul knew this. He was right. Andrew and Harris didn't look hurt at all. Paul looked like he had just finished his warm-up. They were that weak.

NO! Dawn screamed in her head. They were not weak. They were strong. They had to be. Without strength, hope would perish. Without hope, all would come crashing down on top of her. She had no choice but to fight on. At least she'd weaken them for when Gary woke up...  
...If he did...

Dawn screamed in agony and launched several attacks on Paul. Melody did the same. They were pulled back by the two guards and slammed into the floor.

"Do you give up now?" hissed Paul.

"Never!" snarled Melody.

Paul growled angrily. "Kill them."

Dawn screamed as she was raised into the air. They were going to snap her spine. She watched as Melody struggled in the grip. This was serious, the end was very close. Dawn closed her eyes and prayed that she would survive. Somehow, she and Melody had to live.

They were interrupted as the door burst open. Ash and his other friends came into the room.

"Give it up!" he shouted.

"Kill them later," said Paul. "They won't be much of a bother."

Melody and Dawn were dropped to the floor as Andrew and Harris prepared to fight.

"It's six against three!" yelled Ash. "Your chances of winning are pretty slim."

"Your chances of living are smaller than a grain of sand." scoffed Paul.

Ash boiled with anger at the words.

The boys engaged a fight as Melody and Dawn crawled over to Gary. His eyes were closed. But he was still breathing. Dawn sighed in relief. No matter how angry she gets at him, she'll always know him as a friend. But he had Melody to love now. When he woke, he'd be back to the arrogant Gary. The thought of him not appreciating her help dampened her spirits. She could just imagine what he would say, his look of disgust as he storms away with Melody by his side. She wasn't half bad for a popular chic. Dawn expected a personality of judgement. Melody seemed like the type of person to judge people by their looks.

"Dawn, is something wrong?" asked Melody.

"I was just thinking." mumbled Dawn.

"Thinking about what?"

"When Gary wakes up, I think he'll still disapprove of me." said Dawn. "And I imagined you putting me down."

"I won't do that," said Melody. "Not after all we've been through just for the sake of Gary."

Dawn nodded. Melody was right, the two of them would risk their lives to save him. He was that important.

"Plus, you're the one who's disapproving of him." added Melody.

Dawn looked at her with watery eyes.

"You're right." she said miserably. "I've been neglecting him ever since the incident happened. I feel so horrible!"

"You mustn't punish yourself." said Melody.

"But look at what I did to him!" she cried.

"No, it was you who saved Gary." said Melody.

Dawn looked at her in disbelief.

"It was you who jumped in when you were already in pain." said Melody. "While your mind was busy planning evil schemes, your heart was elsewhere."

Dawn looked at her in shock. "You don't think I still cared for him even when I hated him!?"

"But you did," said Melody. "You still felt the pangs of pain every time he got hurt. Correct?"

"Yes..." admitted Dawn. "And I forgive him. For everything I've done."

Melody smiled. "He already knows."

Dawn looked down at Gary and realised that his eyes were open. They were gazing at her with a warm brown tint. His eyes were the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Thank you." whispered Gary.

Dawn almost cried with joy as she and Melody hugged each other in relief.

Their celebration was short-lived as Paul snarled in fury and ran their way. Gary sprung to his feet. Determination was written all over his face. Fire burned in his blazing eyes.

"This. Is. It." he breathed.

Paul growled in fury. The battle started once more.

Gary was powered by the sudden surge of joy in his heart. He easily outwitted the weaker boy. He had wasted his energy fighting the others.

"What steroids did those two gorillas give you!?" Paul snarled.

"Love and affection!" growled Gary.

"LOVE!?" spat Paul. "That word is empty."

"Then what word is full?" asked Gary.

"Hate!" snarled Paul.

Gary dodged his attack and let Ash and his friends take over. Andrew and Harris were out of the room and running for their lives.

"Pussies!" spat Paul before he was engulfed by a sea of thrashing boys.

The group parted for Gary to walk through. Paul was crumpled on the floor.

"I think I have a score to settle." said Gary.

Paul bared his teeth at him and hissed menacingly.

"Go on then! Finish me!"

Gary raised his fist in the air and hesitated.  
He slowly uncurled his fist and lowered his arm down.

Paul opened his eyes just a crack and realised what Gary had done. He stared at him in disbelief.

"After all I've done, aren't you going to kill me!?"

"No," said Gary softly. "Everyone deserves a chance to live."

Gary left Paul to sit on the floor in shock as he and everyone else left the room. Dawn and Melody were on either side.

"Gary, we've been thinking." said Dawn.

Gary nodded. "Yes?"

"Should the three of us just be friends?" asked Melody. "We can forget about the love affair."

"More than welcome." smiled Gary.

Dawn and Melody beamed at each other as they left the school and towards the stunning horizon that enticed them with the feeling of being free.

~_The Very Very End_~


End file.
